PDP’s allegations about takeover of Rivers government ridiculous – APC

The All Progressives Congress, APC, has described the allegations made by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, that it planned to forcefully take over the government of Rivers State as ridiculous and baseless.

It added that the PDP offered no justification for its bogus claim except to mischievously misrepresent and amplify the comments reportedly made by the chairman of the Rivers State APC Caretaker Committee, Chief Tony Okocha, while sweeping under the carpet the salient issues underpinning the festering crisis in Rivers State.

He noted the PDP would rather peddle falsehood about a non-existent plot to interfere with the government of Rivers State instead of giving a crash course to Governor Sim Fubara on the basic tenets of democratic and constitutional governance for the benefit of the good people of Rivers State.

APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka, in a statement issued on Thursday, stressed that the current crisis in Rivers State was contrived and executed by Governor Sim Fubara, who has continued to usurp the legislative power of the Rivers State legislature while contemptuously disregarding valid decisions and orders of courts of competent jurisdiction in critical matters at the root of the crisis in the state.

The APC alleged that the governor has continued to expend public funds without lawful appropriations by a duly constituted legislature, thereby undermining the will of the good people of Rivers State and their right to effective and accountable democratic governance.

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Morka said: “Quite contrary to the PDP’s misplaced quibbles against Chief Okocha’s comments, Governor Siminalayi Fubara is the supreme architect of the horrific crisis rocking Rivers State.

“Since assuming office over a year ago, Governor Fubara has displayed reckless disdain for the rule of law and democratic institutions and conducted his government in flagrant violation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“In an unprecedented display of autocratic arrogance, Governor Fubara declared the democratically elected Rivers State House of Assembly to be non-existent and, without lawful authority, constituted a bogus and illegal 3-man sham assembly in brazen violation of express provisions of the Constitution on the threshold composition of the House of Assembly and in disregard of the separation of powers doctrine.”