A Governorship aspirant of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, in Rivers State in the 2023 general elections, Victor Orokoh, has described the call by the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to impeach Governor Fubara, as “a call for anarchy in the state.”
The Chairman of the APC Caretaker Committee in the state, Chief Tony Okocha, had, on Tuesday, directed the 27 state lawmakers loyal to Nyesom Wike to commence impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Okocha’s call followed a statement by the governor, saying the faction of the Assembly led by Martins Amaewhule is “non-existent”.
Reacting to APC’s demand for impeachment, Orokoh, who is also a Port Harcourt-based Legal Practitioner, stated that Governor Fubara’s statement was a personal opinion and not a constitutional directive warranting impeachment proceedings.
He emphasized that Okocha, not being a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, lacked the authority to call for such constitutional actions without raising pertinent constitutional issues.
Orokoh highlighted the procedural nature of impeachment, stating that it requires a specific process to be followed which Okocha failed to acknowledge.
“The call for impeachment by the APC acting Chairman is tantamount to a call for anarchy.
“He has no right, he is not a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, and as such he can’t call for impeachment.
“Impeachment is a process, it’s a procedure recognized by law. You must begin with A and you don’t jump it.
“So he is not a member of the House of Assembly and has not stated the grounds on which he perceives that the governor should be impeached.”
He urged relevant security agencies to thoroughly investigate the activities of the APC’s Caretaker Committee Chairman to prevent any potential breakdown of law and order in the state.
“It’s unfortunate that the likes of Tony Okocha will be calling for anarchy in Rivers State.
“I urge the security agencies to carefully watch out for the APC chairman and acolytes, they don’t mean well for Rivers State”, he added.