Ahead of Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s return to office, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has advised him to remain loyal to the party and to reject attempts by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to woo him. The party urged the governor to investigate how Rivers State was managed during the six months he was suspended under emergency rule.
The PDP Deputy National Legal Adviser, Barrister Okechukwu Osuoha stated that Fubara’s suspension was constitutionally tied to a state of emergency declared by the President to prevent a total breakdown of law and order in Rivers State.
“The issue is that there was an emergency declaration by the President, constitutionally, which is allowed,” Osuoha said.
“So that means he has to come back to office because the suspension was for six months, and there has been no extension. Therefore, he must return and assume his role as the Executive Governor of Rivers State,” he added.
Osuoha also urged Fubara to actively participate in party activities.
“He is still a member of the PDP and should participate more fully in party affairs. Party is supreme. If you have any problem, the party will come to your rescue and support you. I want to see him participating fully in PDP so Nigerians will know he belongs to the party,” Osuoha advised.
PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, while commenting on the recent development urged Fubara to resist pressure to defect to the APC.
“The Rivers people will heave a sigh of relief that the illegality wrought upon them will finally be addressed,” Osadolor said.
“The only thing I ask of the Governor is that he should not fall for voices calling for political correctness in the name of peace. There is no peace without justice. The onus lies on him to thoroughly interrogate these six months that Admiral Ibas spent in office, appropriating and misappropriating the resources of the Rivers people for whatever interests he might have allegedly served.
“Whenever wrongdoing is found, the Governor should not hesitate to make him face the full weight of the law.
“The last time I checked, he was never elected by the Rivers people, and yet he presided over their resources and taxpayers’ money while Governor Fubara, who was duly elected, was suspended,” Osadolor said.
He warned Fubara against being deceived by the APC with vague promises that could compromise his political future.
“When they are inviting him now, are they inviting him to become the leader of APC in Rivers, or are they promising him their ticket for 2027? These vague offers are meant to lure and bury him politically. He must be smart enough to see through the lines,” he warned.
“Any attempt for him to cross over to the APC will mean legitimising the illegal suspension and putting the final nail in his political coffin.
“He must have the moral courage to tell the Rivers people that he will not defect or change his political base.
“If he has aspirations for the future, he should put those thoughts before the Rivers people and remain loyal to their trust by standing firm through this six-month trial and delivering top-notch governance based on service,” Osadolor said.
