The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that the Governor of Rivers state, Siminilayi Fubara is actively and vehemently precipitating his own impeachment through his actions, conduct and infantile comments.
The party pointed out that if his declaration that the House of Assembly was non-existent was based on the fact that the 27 members who decamped from PDP to APC have lost their seats, then Fubara was sorely misled.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka stated this on Friday while addressing a press convention in Abuja.
He argued that the 27 Assembly members did not lose their membership of the Assembly by virtue of their decampment, stressing that there was nothing homeostatic about Section 109(1)(g) of the Constitution.
The party added that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) recently tendered a hogwash argument that by Section 109 of the Constitution, the 27 House of Assembly members who defected from PDP to APC have forfeited their seats, and echoed the governor’s declaration that the Rivers State House of Assembly is non-existent.
Morka said the proviso to the said Section 109(1) (g) established exceptional grounds to the applicability of Section 109(1)(g)
Section 109(1) states: “A member of a House of Assembly shall vacate his seat in the House if –
(S.109(1)(g) – being a person whose election to the House of Assembly was sponsored by a political party, he becomes a member of another political party before expiration of the period for which that House was elected:
He stressed that Fubara’s weaponisation of demolition of public assets as a strategy to dislodge and punish legitimate members of the legislature was nothing short of petty despotism and must be roundly condemned
Morka noted that the governor’s attack on the House of Assembly and its leadership was in flagrant disrespect of the order of a court of law and a violent violation of the express provisions of the Constitution.
Morka added that the House of Assembly is a creation of the Constitution, and vested with the legislative authority of the state, saying the members of the Assembly were elected by the good people of Rivers state in the same manner that Fubara was elected governor.
He added that the Assembly does not exist at the Governor’s pleasure, stressing that the legislature is at the core of the idea of democracy.
Morka stated: “Contrary to PDP’s assertions, it is not APC that is calling for the impeachment of Governor Fubara. Rather, by his egregious actions, conduct and infantile comments, Fubara is actively and vehemently precipitating his own impeachment.
“Governor Fubara’s declaration that the Rivers State House of Assembly does not exist is not only reckless, it is a direct affront to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Morka said Fubara continued to conduct the business of government unhinged, and in total contempt of the state legislature.
“Governor Fubara’s quest to repudiate the Constitution and govern in denial of the existence of the state legislature is, in and of itself, among other grounds, an impeachable offense,” he noted.