By Joy Odor
As Nigeria citizens agitating for a hunger planned protest across the country, the Chairman, Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker Committee, Tony Okocha has on Tuesday ordered Nigerians to question their state governors on why they are suffering, despite the increased federation allocations collected every month.
Okocha who gave the order while briefing newsmen at the Party headquarters in Abuja affirmed that President Bola Tinubu is not the architect of hunger in the land rather the failed politicians, who were planning to wrestle power from APC through the backdoor.
According to him, the failed politicians should wait for 2027 to wrestle power from APC if they can.
The APC Chairman Rivers also challenged that rather than going ahead with the planned protest, why are Nigerians not demonstrating, protesting against their governors.
Okocha charged the people not to compare Nigeria to Kenya or Sudan, saying the circumstances and indices were different.
He called on the youth to listen to the Tinubu on the call on Monday appealing to the sponsors of the protests to shelve the planned agitation and allow him more time to see to the realization of all the goodies he has for them.
“As a party in Rivers State and patriotic citizens of Nigeria, we would like to seize this opportunity to caution against the planned protest by people I call failed politicians.
“They cannot destroy the APC or the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We should support the president as he is determined to move Nigeria forward. It will take time, but the process is in place.
“We should not compare Nigeria to Kenya or Sudan. The circumstances and indices are different, and our population cannot be compared to those countries.
“Encouraging protests will only lead to chaos. We advise Nigerians not to join or support what I call failed politicians who think they can destroy the APC or the president” he stressed.
Speaking on the On financial autonomy, Okocha agreed that their funds should go directly to them and no longer be controlled by the state as ordered by the Supreme Court judgment.
“Our concern is that from January 19, 2024, as part of IPAC, we reminded the chairman of the local government election about the law that stipulates an election should be conducted three months before the expiration of the incumbent chairmen.
“Supreme Court in its wisdom has given a judgment on the issue of local governments in Nigeria.
“Two issues were clear: financial autonomy for local governments and the quasi-local government system, which is still not complete.
“The Supreme Court has stated that state governments do not have the power to dissolve local government councils and that council members should be elected” he said.
Commenting on the internal Party struggle, Okocha recall that “we took the party from the brink where it was almost called a social club. As I speak to you today, our office has become a beehive of activities, with members who had left and some who were non-partisan beginning to throng into the party in droves.
If you are a visitor to Port Harcourt, you can look at number 268B Aba Expressway, where the state secretariat is located.
Beyond that, we have also been able to convene meetings of our stakeholders at different strata.
We have met with stakeholders at the national level, including past and present senators, former governors, serving House of Representatives members, and principal officers of the State House of Assembly.
“We have also met other expansive national stakeholders, including Assembly members and many more.
“We can proudly say that APC Rivers State has provided the people of Rivers State with the needed opposition because we have taken the interests of our people to heart. We have assumed the position of watchdog against a non-functional government, which has garnered a lot of support from politicians and non-politicians alike.
“The next issue I would like to bring forward is the suit, the legal matter instituted by the dissolved executive members of the party who were involved in anti-party activities during the elections. They have filed a suit against the party and are pursuing the matter to a logical conclusion.
“Their argument is that the National Working Committee lacks the power to dissolve them, despite being briefed that the National Working Committee got the permission of NEC to oversee the party’s affairs since they are the body that meets daily to discuss party matters.
“I would like to say that the legal department, led by the National Legal Adviser, is a formidable team and up to the task. We, as a party in Rivers State, are not resting on our laurels. As the matter has been concluded and judgment reserved, the judge at the last meeting announced that they would deliver judgment on the matter but would give the parties 48 hours’ notice before doing so.
“Regarding this matter, it is despicable to speak ill of the judiciary. I would like to note that the judge on this matter, Justice [Name], who presides over Court 8 in Rivers State, is believed to be on a hatchet job.
“When we received this information, I recall that we wrote a strongly worded petition against him, which was shown to him by a Senior Advocate on our side. The law and morality suggest that he should recuse himself from the matter, but he insisted on completing it.
“We have said many times during adjournments that intra-party matters are meant for the party. The courts should refrain from involving themselves in such matters because it is not the law’s place to decide who the party chairman is.
“If you are uncomfortable with what is happening in your party, you are at liberty to leave the party. That is the Supreme Court judgment on the matter.
“The latent motive of the judge seems to be to remove us from the scene and enthrone a group that has been dissolved for anti-party activities. It is unacceptable for a group of young men to berate the party at the national level. Until this is resolved, we will continue to exercise our right to appeal at the court.
The chairman tasked us with doing everything within the law to get the governor’s attention. Unfortunately, the governor refused to allow the State Electoral Commission to conduct the local government elections because he knew our party would sweep all the positions. He waited for the tenure of the incumbents to expire and then set up a caretaker committee” he ended.
