The factional chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Tony Okocha on Tuesday added a fresh dimension to the political crisis in the state, insisting that the party is not a dumping ground for prodigal politicians.
According to him, the APC will not just accept the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara as he must not come in through the backdoor, even if he defects to the party.
Speaking with journalists at the National Secretariat of the APC in Abuja, Okocha also said Fubara’s political sins would not be forgiven easily on the grounds of his joining the ruling party.
The APC chairman said though the suspended Governor had met with President Bola Tinubu after his suspension, that does not guarantee him automatic admission, even as the suspension of the state of emergency in Rivers State does not mean Fubara cannot also be impeached.
He also said Fubara has not taken any concrete moves towards reconciliation since the declaration of the state of emergency in Rivers State.
Okocha said, “If Fubara decides to join the APC, it has nothing to do with state of emergency in Rivers state. His sins cannot be forgiven because he came to our party. He has not spoken to me over reconciliation. He will enter the party through the door not the window.
“Not only him, there are procedures for defection to another party and if he claims to be a politician, he will know that all politics is local, he will try and defect in his ward. From there, it will come to us and his ward chairmen. I have asked, nobody brought any information about him entering APC.
“How can I be worried that somebody visited my President. Don’t forget it is also the season for Sallah. Yesterday, I read somewhere, former Governor of Ogun State, Segun Osoba paid Sallah homage. So we can’t be worried, we can’t gag the President to say you will see Mr A, you will not see Mr B. Perhaps. If I had made an application to see Mr President, I would have been there with my team.
“You will jump into APC today and your sins are forgiven, that can’t be true. It won’t work that way. Then, it would have made APC a dumping ground for people who commit misdemeanour and believe that by and large, we will come for reconciliation. No!
“I’m not a prophet of doom, I can only say to you with the benefit of knowledge that I am not aware of any reconciliatory moves. No reconciliation is going on. Is it going to talk to Mr President? But Mr President has said go and make peace. No attempt at that. I am not aware of any reconciliatory moves by Fubara and his team.”
Friday Olokor
Follow us on:
