The chairman of the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Tony Okocha, has dismissed claims that 27 lawmakers from the state House of Assembly defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.
Despite widespread reports and speculation, Okocha maintained that he never formally received the lawmakers into the party. He clarified that the December 2023 event at the Port Harcourt Polo Club was not a reception for the legislators but a gathering to celebrate the inauguration of the APC state executive council by the national leadership.
During that event, Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule had announced that he and 26 other lawmakers had completed their defection process, citing internal divisions within the PDP as their primary reason for leaving. Amaewhule stated that they had evidence of these divisions and would reveal them at the appropriate time.
However, speaking to journalists at the APC secretariat in Port Harcourt, Okocha sought to correct the narrative, emphasizing that he had only invited the lawmakers as friends, not in their capacity as Assembly members.
“There was no intention to organize a reception for what we were not holding. We were inaugurated in Abuja, and we chose to organize a reception and thanksgiving for our members. It was not to receive the 27 lawmakers,” he explained.
He insisted that the public had misinterpreted the event and that the APC did not officially admit the lawmakers into the party.
“We were wrongly portrayed as having received the 27 lawmakers into APC. That is not true. I invited individual Assembly members because of my existing relationship with them. We made efforts to bring them into our party, and it would have been a great achievement if we had succeeded.
“However, we want Nigerians to understand that the 27 lawmakers, led by Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule, never defected to the APC. Social media and television reports cannot serve as legal proof of defection. The law is not based on emotions but on facts,” Okocha stated.
Okocha also took a swipe at Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, accusing him of consistently violating the rule of law. He argued that Fubara’s actions reflected a disregard for legal procedures, particularly regarding the state budget and judicial rulings.
“The era of strongman politics is over. The law must be upheld. A High Court cannot override the judgment of a superior Court of Appeal. It is disappointing that experienced lawmakers are misinterpreting court rulings,” he said.
He further accused the governor of acting like a dictator by refusing to obey the court order requiring him to re-present the 2024 budget before the House of Assembly, led by Amaewhule.
“We are deeply concerned by the governor’s blatant disregard for the rule of law. Justice James Omotosho granted 15 reliefs in his ruling, but the governor has ignored them. A state cannot function without an approved annual budget, yet Fubara continues to govern without one. Presenting a budget before a three-man Assembly, which the Appeal Court dismissed as a mere ‘forum,’ is unacceptable,” Okocha argued.
He concluded by urging both parties in the dispute to accept the eventual Supreme Court ruling when it is delivered.
