President Right To Intervene In Rivers Crisis – APC Chieftain

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Reuben Olorunfunmi, has faulted those criticising President Bola Tinubu’s intervention in Rivers state’s political crisis.

He said the President as the father of the nation had every right to intervene and that his interventions were not politically motivated.

Tinubu had called a meeting of stakeholders in Rivers State, including Governor Siminalayi Fubara, where eight resolutions were agreed upon, including the recognition of the 27 lawmakers who dumped the Peoples Democratic Party for the APC as well as the payment of their entitlements.

Falana and some senior lawyers had described the President’s intervention as a mere advisory and had no place in the constitution.

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Ijaw Leader, Chief Edwin Clark, also criticised the President’s stand on the crisis, saying the agreements reached were absurd.

But Olorunfunmi, a member of the APC Elders’ Forum in Lagos State, stated that the President intervened as the father of the nation, just ae he did with the Ondo crisis.

He said, “There was this problem in Ondo State and Bola Ahmed Tinubu did not intervene as the leader of APC, he intervened as the President of the country and brought the matter to rest. Our commentators did not say anything, particularly Femi Falana and some others.

“Falana said it (the resolution) is unconstitutional and that as the President he should not have dabbled into it. He does not know our President, he is not a dullard and rather than say it is unconstitutional, I would rather say it is super constitutional. The President intervened as the father of the nation.”

Olorunfunmi also faulted those saying the 27 lawmakers who defected to the APC had lost their seats, claiming it was common knowledge that the PDP has crisis here and there.

He added, “They have not committed any offence, their seats remain there. In this particular case, it is common knowledge in Nigeria that PDP has problems here and there. The chairman resigned and they have not been able to appoint a new chairman. In Rivers State itself, former Governor (Nyesom) Wike and the governor are both in PDP and they have drawn battle line. So, if they have decided to cross, they have the right within the provision of the Nigerian constitution.”