The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) declared on Wednesday that Siminalayi Fubara remains in office as governor of Rivers State despite the proclamation of emergency rule in the state.
It expressed disappointment that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu could ignore the clear provisions of the constitution and proceed to suspend democratic structures in Rivers State.
Briefing journalists on Wednesday in Abuja, national publicity secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, lamented that no part of the Nigerian Constitution gives President Tinubu the powers he claims to have exercised in issuing the proclamation of a state of emergency and sacking the lawfully elected Governor of the State, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy and the State Assembly.
“What President Tinubu is attempting to do is to suspend the 1999 Constitution, overturn a democratic government and foist an undemocratic regime in Nigeria in gross violation of Sections 1 (2), 14(2)(a), 180, 217(2)(b) (c) and 305 (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended)” Ologunagba said.
The party stressed that “Section 180 of the 1999 Constitution is clear on the tenure of a State Governor, which is prescribed as four years commencing from the date of the swearing-in. the only means provided for in the constitution for the abridgement of the tenure of a governor is death, resignation, incapacitation or impeachment and not by suspension by the President”
The PDP called on the National Assembly to invoke its legislative power with regard to this constitutional breach.
The PDP called for calm and continued to stand with Governor Fubara and the people of Rivers State.
President Tinubu should note that a President is expected to be the father of the nation. In a situation of crisis what we expect to find is a “Resolver” of problems not an “Exacerbator” of problems.
On the revocation of its two secretariat plots in Abuja, the opposition party expressed shock that the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, carried out the revocation despite the existence of a court case in which the minister is a party.
READ ALSO:Rivers: Fagbemi backs Tinubu, alleges Fubara teleguided militants to blow pipeline
However, the director of Land in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Chijioke Nwankwoeze, explained earlier that the failure of the PDP to pay statutory ground rents led to the revocation.
He said: “The truth is that the minister revoked 4,794 titles. PDP is just one of them – just one, not two.
“The titles we are talking about that belong to PDP are only one, the one in the central area. Where they are occupying as their national headquarters is not their property. That is the clarification that people need to know.
“The property belongs to one Samaila Maman Ofi, who bought it from Wadata and got his papers registered by way of assignment. So, on that property, 28 years’ worth of ground rent has been owed. 28 years, from 1998 to 2025.
“They are owing N2,848,173.36 Kobo for 28 years. And we put out notices for people to come and pay or risk having their titles revoked. From 2023 to now, that’s about a year and a half from when those publications started, they did not pay.”
