The Rivers State Government has strongly criticized the All Progressives Congress (APC) for urging the State House of Assembly to initiate impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

Johnson cautioned the APC lawmakers, aligned with Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike, against pursuing such action, emphasizing that any attempt to impeach the governor would face resistance from the Rivers people.

The Caretaker Committee Chairman of the APC in Rivers State, Tony Okocha, recently called for the swift impeachment of the governor during a press conference in Port Harcourt. Okocha argued that the impeachment was warranted due to the governor's perceived disrespect towards President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who intervened to address the ongoing crisis in the state.

However, the Information and Communications Commissioner swiftly responded, questioning Okocha's legitimacy as a member of the APC and his moral authority to comment on state affairs. The commissioner emphasized that any attempts to impeach the governor would encounter significant opposition from the state's populace.

He said, “It is not going to be an easy journey. They should not imagine embarking on it because Rivers people will resist them. Rivers people will resist them because it is even baseless to think of it. They are not fighting with legitimacy; they are only fighting for their own survival. On what plank will you put that? The law says you can’t put legality on illegality.

“As far as we are concerned, they do not even have the locus standi to do that. They should not even bother to start it because Section 109(g) has settled the case. It says if an Assembly member defects from his own party that brought him to power, you automatically lose his seat. They have done that, and it is settled. Our Constitution is the grand norm.

“The court, the Supreme Court, is there to look at these elementary issues. There is also a subsisting judgement on this, so we don’t need a second opinion on whether we should respect them as Assembly members or not. The Supreme Court has already declared those seats vacant.

“Tony Okocha was just yesterday declared as not being a member of APC by a former chairman of the party, Sokonte Davies. He is a factional chairman. We want the faction led by Chief Emeka Beke to say the same thing. Okocha is standing on one leg. His call is an empty call. His advice to impeach the governor is a journey that leads nowhere, and they will not succeed. The lawmakers are not existent, and they are not seen in law.”