…As PDP urges Tinubu to call Akpabio to order, APC calls for resignation of Fubara
The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have engaged in a war of words over the comments made by the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabi over the weekend at the burial of Dr. Herbert Wigwe, former CEO of Access bank holdings, his wife, Chizoba and son, Chizzy in Isiokpo, Rivers state.
Rivers state Governor, Siminalyi Fubara had in his tribute made comments about power struggle and the fickleness of life.
However, responding to him shortly after the Governor delivered his tributes, Akpabio remarked “what are you now struggling for. If you don’t want it, don’t struggle.”
These statements have however sparked an exchange of words between the two camps.
The Chairman, Rivers State APC Caretaker Committee, Chief Tony Okocha, at a press conference on Tuesday in Port Harcourt said what the Governor was expected to do was to give simple tribute at the funeral and not to spark up political debate thereby undermining the real essence of the sombre moment.
“The same fifth columnist that are encouraging him (Fubara) to disobey Mr President, are on a new spree of casting aspersions deriding the Senate President of Nigeria,” Okocha said.
“At a burial ceremony, if you have the opportunity to speak, you are expected to do a tribute. Even when you want to sing what they call a dirge, you don’t introduce politics.
“The Governor goes to Isiokpo, by protocol he was allowed to speak, and pay tribute to the dead. The corpses were lying there. What did he do? A minute after he even started, he veered off; saying, I’m talking about the political class.
“Why are we killing and burying. Why is he interested in unnecessary public campaign validation?”
“Come to think of it. Was Wigwe a politician? That population there that day were they all politicians? Was that a political campaign ground? So he could have said anything without dragging in the political class.
“It’s the reason the Senate President when he took the stage said what are you now struggling for. If you don’t want it, don’t struggle. He was passing a message.
“The ground you are on was not a ground to play politics. But what we are hearing now is that they are abusing him (Akpabio).
“Well, it is their business, but Akpabio is a member of my party. I saw a stupidly written script by the PDP that Akpabio is an enemy of the state and that they will soon declare him a persona non-grata. I laughed. That is the stupidity of the system.”
Okocha also asked the Governor to resign on grounds of incompetence and lack of performance, adding that since he was sworn in on May 29, “Governor Siminalyi Fubara has nothing to show despite the huge amount of money that has come to the state courtesy of subsidy removal by Mr President.”
However, the State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Sydney Gbara in a statement issued in Port Harcourt described Senator Akpabio as an enemy of Rivers state going by the utterances of the Senate President against Governor Fubara.
Gbara alleged that Akpabio was angry due to the applause that greeted Fubara’s remarks as to why politicians are fighting and killing themselves over power which is very transient.
“It is now obvious that the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio is an enemy of Rivers people, as evident in his past and present actions and utterances on issues concerning the State.
“The applause from sympathisers and mourners at the burial, however, drew the anger of Senator Akpabio who mounted the rostrum afterwards to fight, after narrating a concocted fallacious story between him and a former Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom state over a power struggle, attempted to ridicule Governor Fubara by asking him to resign if there was no need to struggle to kill for power.
“Akpaio had consistently shown disdain, unimaginable level of disrespect and hatred for His Excellency, Siminialayi Fubara, Governor of Rivers State through his utterances at public functions in the State.
“His actions against Rivers people had never been pleasant but embarrassing, as he seems to have taken advantage of the political impasse in the State to perfect his evil enterprise of igniting more crises to the detriment of the State.”
The State PDP spokesman recalled that at a church service recently in Tai local government area of the state, said: “Such a statement was a huge embarrassment which could provoke a crisis as the Governor has not told anyone that he would not seek reelection in 2027.”
“The PDP therefore uses this medium to advise Senator Akpabio to refrain from verbal attacks on the Executive Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency, Sir Siminialayi Fubara as the people of the State would no longer take for granted such comments capable of further dividing the people.
The PDP, also warned that if however, Senator Akpabio “decides to continue to choose the path of dishonour by making negative unprovoked utterances against Governor Fubara, he may not be welcomed into Rivers State again.”
The PDP also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to call Godswill Akpabio to order, saying “His consistent throwing of tantrums at the State Governor and the people is capable of provoking a crisis in the State.”