•APC chieftain accuses presidency of involvement in plot to impeach Rivers gov
From Tony John, Port Harcourt
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has assured that his administration would implement, to its fullest, the recent judgement of the Supreme Court of Nigeria on the political crisis in the State.
He maintained that what is important, in all of the happenings that had been witnessed, has been the protection of the interest of Rivers State because it must be above whatever personal interest that anybody could hold and canvass.
Governor Fubara gave the assurance during the inauguration of the new Judges’ Quarters, a housing facility completed by his administration for judges indigenous to Rivers State by birth or marriage, at Old GRA, in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area on Tuesday.
He explained: “It has not been an easy 16 months, but what is important is the interest of our State, which must be above our personal interest. I want to say it here, very loud and clear to everyone, the Supreme Court has given a judgement, my administration is going to implement the judgement to its fullest.The reason is clear: It is not about me, it is about the good of this State.”
Governor Fubara alluded to the quantum of loss, in terms of money expended, in prosecuting the political crisis, on both sides, which has gone to waste, regrettably.
He said such financial resources and other efforts would be more profitable, if they were synergised, and channelled to courses that promoted the genuine well-being and good of the State, adding that something more assuring would have been showcased.
Governor Fubara stated: “Thank God where we are today, I can assure you publicly that, any day, any time, I have not gone back on that my statement: that nothing (no price) is too big to pay for peace in this State, because at the end of the day, it is about our people. It is not about me, I will leave office, but the good work that I have done will speak for me and will defend my generation.”
Commenting on the project, Governor Fubara emphasised that it further shows that his administration takes the issue of welfare, particularly of judicial officers, seriously, explaining that his administration inherited the project and with reports from the Ministry of Justice and some concerns from the Judiciary, it became imperative to continue with it.
“We give glory to God that today, we have completed this project, and we are willing and ready to hand it over to the lucky judges who are going to live here so that they can perform their duties effectively.”
Governor Fubara pointed to the need for proper maintenance of the housing facility and the entire premises so that it can offer required satisfaction, maximally, and assured the Executive’s readiness to provide support in that regard.
Performing the inauguration, Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Amadi, recalled how he laid the foundation stone of the project, which was initiated by the immediate past administration on May 22, 2023, and thanked Governor Fubara for continuing and completing the project, which now represents another milestone and great accomplishment for the Rivers State Judiciary.
“We are pleased with this landmark achievement, which represents the continuation of the policy of providing befitting residential accommodation for judges of Rivers State on owner-occupier basis or monetary ground in lieu there-off. This is backed by the Rivers State Housing Scheme for Judicial Officers Law No. 10 of 2021 passed by the Rivers State House of Assembly, and signed into law by the immediate past Governor of Rivers State.
“The Rivers State Government, in the past years, has been in the fore-front in ensuring that judges are quartered while in service, and in recent years, has gone further to allocate official quarters to judges on the basis of owner-occupier or monetary ground of a fixed sum in lieu there-off.
“The policy of providing official accommodation for judges on owner-occupier basis or monetary ground in lieu there-off has greatly reduced the pressure on judicial officers who hitherto struggle to build retirement homes while in service with limited resources. Such pressure and desire to own retirement homes in the past was a major concern and has its own impact on job performance,” he said.
In her address, the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Justice, Mrs Ibiwari Clapton-Ogolo, explained that the Rivers State Housing Scheme for Judicial Officers, Law No. 10 of 2021 established a housing scheme for judicial officers who must be indigenes of Rivers State either by birth or marriage.
Mrs Clapton-Ogolo said: “The scheme provides for ownership of a decent accommodation in the state by every judicial officer who is an indigene of Rivers State or married to an indigene of Rivers State or monetization of the accommodation, subject to the approval of the government.
“In accordance with the above law, today, the Honourable Chief Judge of Rivers State will commission seven duplexes of five bedrooms, which are exquisitely furnished. Our judges deserve nothing less. I pray that these duplexes will not just be living houses for our judges, but homes where our judges will find peace and rest as they discharge their duties, as judges, to God and to men,” she added.
Meanwhile, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has alleged that the President Bola Tinubu-led government is behind the lingering political crisis in the state and the plot to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The former national publicity secretary of the defunct new Peoples Democratic (nPDP) also claimed that by supporting the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, President Tinubu has lost the support of Niger Delta people.
According to the ally of the former Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, Wike with the support of the Presidency, is championing the plot to impeach Governor Fubara in order to install Martin Amaewhule as governor.
“Obviously, Wike is capitalising on his unholy political marriage to Tinubu to destabilize Rivers State and distract Governor Fubara, solely to ensure that their stooge, Amaewhule, becomes governor to enable them rig the 2027 general elections in Rivers State.”
He added that the evil and undemocratic plots to remove Fubara from office will not only fall like a pack of cards, but will rather strengthen and energize Fubara in his concerted efforts to rescue the state from the shackles of people parading themselves as lawmakers.
Eze continued: “I have counselled President Tinubu from the beginning that his romance with Wike will not only destroy APC as a political party, but will stain his political career as a democrat.”
He explained that the plot to impeach or remove Fubara from the Brick House will not see the light of the day in view of the fact that Tinubu and those supporting minister may not know much about Rivers State politics, which, he said, is divided among two blocks – the upland and riverine axis.
“It may interest the public to note that the upland axis of the state has through Dr. Peter Odili, Rt. Hon. Barr Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, and Chief Nyesom Wike governed Rivers State for 24 years, while the riverine axis through Sir Fubara is just governing the state.”
The APC stalwart maintained that disrupting and bringing the administration of Fubara to an abrupt end amounts to subjugation of the Ijaw nation and other riverine ethnic nationalities.
Eze declared: “It is the height of political insensitivity to humiliate an Ijaw governor out of office because of one man’s sheer greed and dictatorial tendencies.”
He warned that the present plot to remove from office the first riverine governor and replace him with another upland person is simply asking for calamity for the state.
Eze admonished Amaewhule and his colleagues to wake up from their fantasy and stop making mockery of the serious agenda of lawmaking.
“Amaewhule and his bandwagon of defectors lack what it takes to order a sitting governor around. They have called Fubara unprintable names and abused him publicly, not knowing that they are denigrating and desecrating the office of governor of Rivers State.
“If Wike is still the governor of Rivers State, can anybody try what he is doing to Fubara? Can he stomach this political crisis? If not that Fubara is a peace loving man, amiable, wise, humane, respectful and easy going man, Wike and the Presidency would have seen what fire does to the ears of a rat.”
Reacting to the attitude of the lawmakers, Eze said they should stop playing God and acting as if Rivers State cannot move forward without them.
“It is ominous and inauspicious behaviour; an affront on the highly revered office of the governor of Rivers State, for the lawmakers to shun a peaceful invitation by Governor Fubara for a meeting.
“Fubara had extended a formal invitation to Amaewhule and the others to discuss and iron out ways to resolve the political imbroglio.”
Eze described the invitation for a meeting as a “political masterstroke strategy”, adding that by refusing to honour the invitation, the world now knows that the lawmakers are determined to undermine the peace of the State.