•‘65% of residents perceive gov’s suspension as illegal’
•IYC urges Tinubu to end emergency rule on June 12

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has declared that the party would not be a dumping ground for suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.

The Chairman of the Rivers State chapter of the party, Tony Okocha, at a press briefing held at the national secretariat of the party yesterday, remarked that there is no way the APC would accommodate the “misdemeanours” of the embattled governor.

Okocha, who is a close ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, bared his mind against the backdrop of speculation that Fubara, who recently met with President Bola Tinubu behind closed doors, is on the verge of defecting from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.

Okocha noted that he, alongside supporters of the APC, is not apprehensive over the visit by Fubara to the President in view of the hordes of dignitaries from across the country that have equally paid Sallah homage to him.

He, however, said that as the Rivers State Chairman of the party with ears on the ground across the local and ward chapters of the party, there is yet an inkling of the possibility that Fubara would join the APC.

MEANWHILE, a new survey by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) shows that 92.7 per cent of residents in Rivers State are aware of and oppose the Federal Government’s declaration of a state of emergency. Many see it as unconstitutional and politically motivated.

Key findings from the survey show that 68.2 per cent of respondents disapprove of the action. Additionally, 65 per cent believe the suspension is illegal.

These figures raise concerns about the overreach of the Federal Government and what it means for governance.The CJID report was released in Abuja yesterday. The Deputy Director of the Accountability Programme at CJID, Mboho Eno, presented the findings, emphasising that the survey reveals widespread public dissatisfaction.

The survey collected responses from 400 people of different backgrounds, including youth, women, civil servants, business owners, and residents from rural and urban areas across Rivers State’s three senatorial districts. The results show high awareness and strong disapproval of the emergency.

THE Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide has urged Tinubu to demonstrate his commitment to democratic values by using the symbolic occasion of June 12 to reinstate Fubara and all duly elected lawmakers in Rivers State.

The call comes in the wake of Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers on March 18, prompted by the prolonged political standoff between the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, and the governor.