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The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has asked the 27 members of the House of Assembly loyal to Nyesom Wike, Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to commence impeachment procerding against Governor Similanayi Fubara.

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Governor Sim Fubara

 

Caretaker Committee Chairman of APC in the state, Chief Tony Okocha, made the call at a press conference in Port Harcourt, on Tuesday.

He said the governor has committed so many impeachable offences, hence the need to commence his impeachment process.

Okocha faulted the governor’s remark when he received a delegation of Ijaw leaders from Bayelsa state, on Monday.

Fubara had said the state House of Assembly was non existent.

Okocha said the Nigeria constitution recognized the three arms of government such as the Executive, Judiciary and Legislative, saying the governor has no constitutional power to declare duly elected members of the state Assembly non-existent.

He said, “We have directed members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to commence the impeachment process of a comatose government. The Governor’s head has become bigger than his pillow. He does not respect the law. He does anything he cares to do. We will not sit here as Rivers people to see Rivers State become a laughing stock in the comity of states, when we have a Governor who does not know his left from his right.

“A state as crucial and all important as Rivers State churned out a dunderhead. We cannot accept that. Our charge to the Assembly is to immediately commence an impeachment. And if they don’t do that there is what they call party discipline. We shall invoke the relevant section of the constitution.

“You know the history of politics. You know the constitution of Nigeria. The Governor said the Assembly members do not exist, that whatever thing they are doing is because he allowed them. In other words he has re-written the books. Elementary politics taught us the three organs of government and their roles. And goes further to talk about the separation of powers and checks and balances. Now what the Governor was implying clearly is that he is ruling Rivers State without laws.

“That Rivers State runs on executive arm and judiciary. So what that implies is simply absurdity. You can now see the tendencies of a dictator. As an opposition party in Rivers State, we will not keep quiet, we will shout. It is regrettable that the Governor has taken up to this point and we will not take it. The Governor was clear whether unambiguous in his deliberate attempt to denigrate the person of Mr President.

“All these while he has been sponsoring people to challenge the power of the President in the proclamation made by the President. The Governor said that the President’s intervention in Rivers State which he signed was not constitutional but a political solution. But he assented to it, not under duress. The agreement was signed in a friendly environment and the Governor assented to the proclamation and had the opportunity to speak where he thanked Mr President. So nobody forced him to sign the proclamation, he did it willingly. So at what point did the governor realize that the resolution was a political matter?

“The issue again to ask is each of those items for us to drive this home. Nine Commissioners resigned and they were brought back. Then you now began to talk about constitutional issues when the President advised you not to interfere in the funding of the State Assembly. Another area of the Constitution which the President delved into was the conduct of local government elections and the representation of the budget. Among these issues raised, which of these is the Governor talking about that is not constitutional?.

“What section of the constitution empowers the Governor to declare the Assembly non-existent? The role of the Governor is proclamation of the Assembly which is done once in four years. The constitution doesn’t allow him for quarterly proclamation of the Assembly. He dissolved the House and proclaimed the Assembly at the end of the tenure of the Assembly. Mind you the Assembly we are talking about is a representative of the people, they were duly elected. They are not his appointees. So where did the Governor derive his powers to say that the Assembly is non-existent.

“Meanwhile records are there about the correspondences between the Governor and the Assembly wherein he addressed Martin Amaewhule as the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly. We want this to be on record as the Chairman of the APC in Rivers State, as the representative of Mr President, we won’t sit here to see the Governor declare on his own as if he is in court.

“He has become Daniel, who is sitting in judgement to declare the Assembly members’ seat vacant. To that extent in consultation with my party, we have directed and we are directing the Assembly members and as APC members who are in the Assembly to immediately commence the impeachment of Governor Sim Fubara.”

Reacting, Rivers Commissioner for Information, Mr Joseph Johnson, said Okocha is not the Chairman of APC in Rivers State.

“In our jurisprudence the 27 lawmakers have lost their seat on the day they defected to another party that’s what the law says. The Constitution of federal Republic of Nigeria section 109 clearly stated that and it’s incontrovertible. The law says you cannot put something on nothing.

“There is nothing at all to even put on something. The Rivers State House of Assembly does not exist, they are none existent. The governor said yesterday that they does not exist but out of his magnanimity has allowed them he even gone further to draw them closer but it does not appear that they don’t understand.”

 

Politics

Buhari: He sent DSS to my house at midnight, I’m still alive – Igboho

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Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeniyi Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho has reacted to the death of former President, Muhammadu Buhari.

Igboho in a viral video, recounted how the former president allegedly ordered officers of the Department of State Services, DSS, to invade his residence at midnight.

Igboho, who claimed that the invasion was aimed at taking him out, also alleged that the former president colluded with some Yoruba indigenes.

He said, “I thank God for my life today, see life! The man that sent DSS to come and kill me in the middle of the night on July 4th 2021 has died today.

“My people, we are supposed to learn from this. That man, Muhammadu Buhari is dead, but I’m alive today. I thank God for my life.

“The man that ganged up with some stupid Yoruba people came to my house to take my life but God said no”.

Ekwutosblog reports that the former Nigerian leader died on Sunday in London after a brief illness.

His remains are expected to arrive in the country for immediate burial in Daura, Katsina state on Monday. 

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Politics

Constitution Amendment: Niger Govt submits proposal

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The Niger State Government has submitted a joint document to the House Committee on Constitution Review containing the state’s collective views and recommendations on key areas.

The areas include restructuring, devolution of powers, state policing, fiscal federalism, local government autonomy, and electoral process.

The position of the state was presented by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Nasiru Mu’azu during the public hearing on the review of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) for the North Central Zone, Centre A, covering Niger, Kwara, and Kogi States in Minna.

The Commissioner explained that the document was developed after broad consultations and stakeholder engagement across the state.

Mu’azu also noted that the state government had made a case for additional creation of local government areas in the state while expressing optimism that the document will be given due consideration

The House Committee Consultant, Prof. Kathleen Okafor, who presented the summarised compendium of bills before the House, disclosed that it has some thematic areas based on evolving needs, which are electoral, judicial, legislative, and physical reform

“Others are inclusive governance, security and policing, devolution of powers, strengthening of institutions, the role of rural communities, traditional institutions, citizenship and Indigineship, fundamental rights, and many more,” Okafor said.

The Etsu Nupe and Chairman Niger State Council of traditional rulers, Alh Yahaya Abubakar, on behalf of the National Council of Traditional Rulers also submitted a memo on the Constitution amendment centred on creating roles for traditional rulers on matters involving religion, culture, security, and justice, among others.

Presentations for the creation of Edu State comprising Bida, Lapai and Agaie Emirates, and the Kainji State consist of Borgu and Kontagora Emirates of the present Niger State and Zuru Emirate in Kebbi State were made by Engr. Yabagi Yusuf Sani and Amb. Ahmed Musa Ibeto, respectively.

Similarly, representatives from Kogi and Kwara states also submitted their memos for the creation of Okun, Okura and Efesowofo states out of the present Kogi and Kwara states, respectively.

The House Committee received documents from women groups, organized labour unions and youth groups, among others, for consideration.

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Politics

BREAKING: Former President Muhammadu Buhari is dead

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Former President Muhammadu Buhari

President Muhammdu Buhari is dead.

His former aide, Bashir Ahmad announced the passing of the former president on X.

 

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