The All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State, on Tuesday, exchanged words over the political banter between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, last Saturday at the funeral of the late Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings, Herbert Wigwe.
Taking to the podium at the well-attended funeral of Wigwe, his wife, Chizoba, and son, Chizzy in Isiokpo, Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state, Fubara had made a veiled political statement.
Fubara, who is having a political crisis with his predecessor and estranged political godfather, Nyesom Wike, in his remarks at the funeral, said, “This one has to do with our political class. What is all this trouble all about? You want to kill; you want to bury, what is it all about?”
Days earlier, apparently referencing the crisis between him and Wike, Fubara, who survived an impeachment plot by pro-Wike lawmakers last year, had said he was willing to give up his position as Rivers State Governor if it would ensure peace in the state.
However, taking to the podium at Wigwe’s funeral after Fubara, the Senate President took it upon himself to reply Fubara.
Akpabio said, “Your Excellency, Governor Fubara. What is the struggle all about? I will answer you.
“Your Excellency Governor Fubara, if there’s nothing in the struggle, don’t struggle.”
However, the PDP, in a statement on Tuesday by its Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Sydney Gbara, accused Akpabio of ridiculing Fubara, describing the Senate President as an enemy of Rivers State.
Gbara alleged that Akpabio was jealous and angry because Fubara’s remarks drew applause from the audience.
Gbara stated, “It is now obvious that the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, is an enemy of Rivers people, as evident in his past and present actions and utterances on issues concerning the state.
“The applause from sympathisers and mourners at the burial drew the anger of Senator Akpabio, who mounted the rostrum afterwards to fight.
“After narrating a concocted fallacious story between him and a former Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State over a power struggle, he attempted to ridicule Governor Fubara by asking him to resign if there was no need to struggle to kill for power.
“Akpaio had consistently shown disdain, an unimaginable level of disrespect and hatred for His Excellency, Siminialayi Fubara, Governor of Rivers State, through his utterances at public functions in the state.
“His actions against Rivers people have never been pleasant but embarrassing, as he seems to have taken advantage of the political impasse in the state to perfect his evil enterprise of igniting more crises to the detriment of the state.”
The State PDP spokesman recalled that at a church service recently in the Tai Local Government Area, of the state, “the same Akpabio had made a ridiculous remark regarding the 2027 governorship election in Rivers State.”
“Such a statement was a huge embarrassment which could provoke a crisis as the governor has not told anyone that he would not seek reelection in 2027.
“The PDP, therefore, uses this medium to advise Senator Akpabio to refrain from verbal attacks on the Executive Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, as the people of the state would no longer take for granted such comments capable of further dividing the people.
“The PDP also warns that if, however, Senator Akpabio decides to continue to choose the path of dishonour by making negative unprovoked utterances against Governor Fubara, he may not be welcomed into Rivers State again.”
The PDP appealed to President Bola Tinubu to warnAkpabio to desist from “consistent tantrums at the state governor,” which, it said, was “capable of provoking crisis in the state.”
However, the Rivers APC defended Akpabio and knocked Fubara for veering off the purpose of the gathering to talk about politics.
Addressing journalists at a press conference on Tuesday, the Chairman, Rivers State APC Caretaker Committee, Chief Tony Okocha, “The same fifth columnist that are encouraging him (Fubara) to disobey Mr President, are on a new spree of casting aspersions, deriding the Senate President of Nigeria.
“At a burial ceremony, if you have the opportunity to speak, you are expected to do a tribute. Even when you want to sing what they call a dirge, you don’t introduce politics.
“The governor goes to Isiokpo,and by protocol, he is allowed to speak, pay a tribute to the dead. The corpses were lying there. What did he do? A minute after he even started, he veered off, saying, ‘I’m talking about the political class. Why are we killing and burying?’
“Why is he interested in unnecessary public campaign validation? Come to think of it, was Wigwe a politician? That population there that day were they all politicians? Was that a political campaign ground? So, he could have said anything without dragging in the political class.
“It’s the reason the Senate President, when he took the stage, said, ‘What are you now struggling for? If you don’t want it, don’t struggle.’ He was passing a message.”
The APC leader also knocked the Rivers PDP leadership.
“The ground you are was not a ground to play politics. But what we are hearing now is that they are abusing him (Akpabio).
“Well, it is their business, but Akpabio is a member of my party. I saw a stupidly written script by the PDP that Akpabio is an enemy of the state and that they would soon declare him a persona non-grata. I laughed. That is the stupidity of the system.”