The All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State are at war over the comments of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and Governor Siminalayi Fubara during last Saturday’s burial of the late Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings, Herbert Wigwe, his wife Chizoba and son, Chizzy in Isiokpo, Ikwerre Local Government area of the state.
Both Akpabio and Fubara spoke during the funeral service held at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, in Isiokpo.
While the APC, the main opposition party in the state accused the governor of bringing in politics at the funeral, the ruling PDP berated Akpabio over his reactions to the Fubara’s comments.
The Chairman, Rivers State APC Caretaker Committee, Chief Tony Okocha, at a news briefing on Tuesday said all Fubara was expected to do was to give a tribute rather than introducing politics at such a solemn ceremony.
Okocha stated, “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.
“A burial ceremony, if you have 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, by protocol he was allowed to speak, 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.
“Its the reason the Senate President, when he took the stage said ‘What are you struggling for? If you don’t want it don’t struggle for it.’ He was passing a message.”
While taking a swipe at the state chapter of the PDP for attacking the Senate President, Okocha said it shows the kind of politics being played in the state.
“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 will soon declare him a persona non-grata. I laughed. That is the stupidity of the system,” he added.
But the State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Sydney Gbara, in a statement described Akpabio as an enemy of Rivers, following his recent utterances issued concerning the state.
Gbara alleged that Akpabio was angry due to the applause that greeted Fubara’s remarks on why politicians are fighting and killing over power.
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, however, 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, attempted to ridicule Governor Fubara by asking him to resign if there was no need to struggle to kill for power.
“Akpabio had consistently shown disdain, 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 had 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 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,, 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 warned that if however, Akpabio decides to continue to make negative unprovoked utterances against Fubara, he may not be welcomed into the state again.
The PDP appealed to President Bola Tinubu to call Akpabio to order, saying “His consistent throwing of tantrums at the state governor and the people is capable of provoking crisis in the state.”