ALLEGED JULY 27 WARD CONGRESSES IN RIVERS, NULL, VOID – G-60 REPS LEADER…Says Ex-LG Chairmen, Lawmakers Can’t Return To Office

By Pearl Harold

The leader of the Group of 60 (G-60) opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives, Hon Ikeagwuonu Michael Ugochinyere has said that the ward congresses allegedly conducted last Saturday, in Rivers State is of no effect, null and void.

Hon Ugochinyere, who chairs the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), also cautioned the State Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to avoid replicating the memories of the infamous CP Joseph Mbu, who turned the State to a theatre of the absurd in 2013 and 2014, in a bid to help Nyesom Wike achieve his ambition.

The lawmaker representing Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency in the National Assembly under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), made the remarks in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt, on Sunday.

Responding to questions, Hon Ugochinyere said, “There is nothing to talk about here. If a group of people, out of desperation, decided to hold kindred meeting, that should not bother anybody. And I advise Nyesom Wike, stop this. The joke is becoming too much.

“There is a subsisting order of a Rivers State High Court few days to this issue of congress that that exercise can no longer hold, but he decided in his desperation, alongside with his supporters, to gather themselves in their hideouts, and conducted what I call a kindred meeting in the name of ward congresses.

“So, what Wike group had yesterday (Saturday) in the name of ward congress is a kindred meeting. That is what we call in Igbo, ‘meeting Umunna’, and nothing more; it ends there, they were talking to themselves; and it is a nullity”.

Clarifying his position on the point of law, he said, “Let me tell you why it is a nullity, and it is very simple. As long as there was a subsisting court order saying it should not hold, and they went ahead to hold the congress, the court in question will void whatever is the outcome of that exercise because it was conducted in violation of the court order”.

On the situation in PDP in the State, Hon Ugochinyere said, “As it is today, there is no working PDP in Rivers State; because we have a group of people who are in what we call: APC-PDP, invading our party, and trying to take control of the party.

“And let me also advise, because recently, we came here, and we heard of the violence that happened. I will advise the state Commissioner of Police; there used to be one that served here then as CP: Joseph Mbu, who used to dance naked with Wike. Today, he is somewhere, he retired as a shameful officer. I hear he is regretting his actions in Rivers in 2013-2014.

“So, I advise the CP: do the right thing. He said he heard of the court order in Abuja, but did not hear of the court order in Port Harcourt where he is residing. That court order in Port Harcourt was advertised in the national newspapers, it was everywhere on social media and conventional media, and the whole world heard about it, and he knew about the court order but decided not to comply with it. He choose to be running a political security outfit for Wike because they are calling him from Abuja”.

On the need to tame the ugly situation from escalating into a state of lawlessness, he explained, “I will advise the President and the IGP, to call the CP to order; and if possible, remove him from Rivers State. I say so because that path he is taking can inflame the already tensed climate in the country, and it is not the right path to take”.

Explaining why what the Wike supporters are doing is a time bomb waiting to explode, he said, “Look at what is happening all over the country. They claim to love the President, but look at what they are doing: they want to destabilise Rivers State, and that will affect the President. What they are doing is not in the interest of Mr President.

“The government is finding it hard in terms of addressing the economic challenges of our people. And here you have a group of people who claim to be working for the President but because of their greed, that they want to plug a pipe to the state resources, they are willing to burn down the State.

“The whole thing baffles me, because what is the crux of the matter: we were here when the former speaker, Martin Amaewhule and his colleague former lawmakers, woke up one morning, even when there was no crisis in PDP, and defected and joined the APC, thinking that by joining the APC, President Bola Tinubu will help them to illegally remove Governor Siminalayi Fubara from office. It backfired. They did not think it through because there was one man in Abuja who was desperate to capture Rivers State as if it is a private estate.

“Now, you ran into APC, and you are running around looking for a court that will give you a judgement that you are still a lawmaker. It will not work. At the moment they decamped, as you are all aware, there was no crisis or division in PDP. As long as there was no division in PDP, the Constitution is very clear on it: it is automatic; your seat is vacant, you do not even need anybody to declare your seat vacant. It is on that ground that the new leadership emerged.

“So, all these struggles are to regain the State House of Assembly’s legitimacy, for the purpose of forcing the Governor out of office so that they can have unfettered access to the State resources of the people.

“Like I told you; those people are no longer lawmakers. The earlier they understand this, the better for them. And the CP needs to get this into his head: those people can not come back as lawmakers. It does not matter whether he gives them the entire police force in the State to take over the streets of Port Harcourt for them to be maiming, destroying and killing innocent law-abiding people, they cannot come back as lawmakers (without a fresh mandate). And nobody can remove Fubara from office as Governor; only the people (electorate) that elected him can remove him from office as Governor. It is as simple as that!”

Speaking further on the ward congresses allegedly conducted on Saturday, Hon Ugochinyere emphasized, “And that congress they claim to have done, like I told you earlier, it is nothing but a kindred meeting. But I know my friend: Nyesom Wike will not get tired of doing these things, but I can tell you here, as a stakeholder in this party; it is a nullity. So, it is of no use!”

On the recent threat by the immediate past local government chairmen to come back and take over the council secretariats and force themselves into office, Hon Ugochinyere said: “I pity them. These are guys whose tenure had elapsed but because there is one Nebuchadnezzar in Abuja who gives them false hopes that they can remain in office even after their tenures had expired, and they can stay in office to continue to touch the people’s resources even when the Constitution has barred them from doing so. I laugh them!

“It is only a politically mad person who does not understand that tenure is constitutionally provided for will fight over expiration of tenure. The Constitution is very clear on tenure expiration. It is a pillar and sacred principle of democracy: That you have a tenure limit! That tenure has ended.

“And you go to one place, and you say you have changed the local government law, and extended the tenure of local government chairmen forever. Where has that happened before? Who will allow it happen against the provisions of the Constitution?

“I think I have to give them advise: it is over. There is no power on earth that can return them to an office in which their tenure had expired. I think they need to get it into their head. And let them try to take over the office in the local government councils, if that is what they are planning to do, and they will see the consequences of their actions.

“How did they leave the office before? The people will chase them away again! Does the office belong to them? It belongs to the people! Were they not trying to bring a magistrate from Maraba before to swear them in the morning of that day? How did it end? When the people rose against them, did they run away? They cannot forcefully take any local government over! If any police officer or politician promised them that, it is a joke, it is not possible”.

He advised the people to focus attention on the forthcoming local government election, saying: “That era is over. We are talking of local government election in a matter of weeks. People are already preparing to participate in the election, and you are talking of tenure of office that has elapsed.

“There is going to be election here, and Rivers people are preparing for the election. People should focus on how to make that process and exercise successful! And people are going to elect councillors they want for the 319 wards and chairmen for the 23 local government councils”.

Advising the people of the State not to pay attention to the rantings of the Wike supporters on local government tenure extension and the Amaewhule-led group, Hon Ugochinyere said, “The era of those Hallelujah boys in the local government councils and the State House of Assembly is over for good. We have moved into the new future; and that is the new future of Rivers people first and development. And as a leader and leading member of the opposition party, I cannot allow any of these people destroy any part of the party in the opposition led States”.