The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has firmly stated that suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara cannot escape accountability for his alleged misdemeanors by defecting to the ruling party.
Tony Okocha, Caretaker Committee chairman of the Rivers APC, made this declaration on Tuesday in Abuja while addressing questions about Fubara's recent Sallah visit to President Bola Tinubu and its potential political implications.
No Forgiveness Through Defection
"If Fubara decides to join the APC, it has nothing to do with the state of emergency in Rivers state. His sins cannot be forgiven because he came to our party," Okocha stated emphatically.
The APC chairman further dismissed the notion that joining the ruling party could absolve Fubara of responsibility. "You will jump into APC today and your sins are forgiven? That cannot be true. It won't work that way. Then, it would have made APC as a dumping ground for people who commit misdemeanor and believe that by and large we will come for reconciliation."
Okocha emphasized that proper procedures must be followed for any defection. "He has not spoken to me. He will enter the party through the door not the window. Not only him, there are procedures for defection to another party and if he claims to be a politician, he would know that all politics is local, he would try and defect in his ward."
On Fubara's Meeting With President Tinubu
When questioned about Fubara's meeting with President Tinubu, Okocha dismissed any concerns, noting it was during Sallah celebrations.
"How can I be worried that somebody visited my President? Don't forget it was also the season of Sallah. Yesterday, I read somewhere that the former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Osoba paid Sallah homage and I don't know whether you also saw the President in the company of Chief Nyesom Wike," he explained.
"So we cannot be worried, we cannot gag the President to say you will see Mr A, you will not see Mr B. Perhaps, if I had made an application to see Mr President, I would have been there with my team," Okocha added.
No Reconciliation Efforts
The APC chairman also dismissed reports of any reconciliatory moves being initiated by Governor Fubara, stating categorically that there was nothing of the sort happening.
The political crisis in Rivers State has intensified following Fubara's suspension and the declaration of a state of emergency, which Okocha insisted was purely about the governor's alleged misdemeanors and not politically motivated.
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