Dr Tony Okocha, Acting Chairman of the All Progressive Congress(APC), in Rivers, has described the Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up to investigate the burning of local government offices as “an attempt to witch hunt”.

“The Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate the bombing of Local Government offices is just a witch hunt.

“The governor merely wants to use it to deal with his perceived enemies,” Okocha told newsmen on Thursday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN), reports that Gov Siminalayi Fubara recently  inaugurated the Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate the arson, killings and destruction at various local government council secretariats in the state.

The seven-member panel, which has one month to conclude its assignment, has Justice Ibiwengi Minakiri as Chairman and Mrs. Inyingi Brown as Secretary.

It is expected to investigate the attacks and burning of local government councils’ secretariats on October 7, 2024, shortly after newly elected local government officers were sworn in.

Okocha, while faulting the governor’s action, said that there was no sincerity in it.

“The said election itself was illegal and, thus, a nullity.

“The governor has said that he knows the people that attacked the local government secretariats.

“If he knows the people, why not just ask the Police to arrest them? Why is he setting up a judicial commission of enquiry?”.

Okocha said that he would take the probe seriously if it is stretched  to include all issues of arson that the state had suffered in the past.

“If the governor really wants justice, the terms of reference of the commission should be all-inclusive.

“All issues of bombing should be probed. The House of Assembly bombing should be probed.

“We also want the bombing of the APC State headquarters to be probed. We do not want selective probes. We want to see genuine search for justice.

“Let’s have a full package  that involves all cases of arson. That is the only way the Rivers government can do justice,” he said.

On whether he would appear before the panel if invited to do so, Okocha said he would  appear before it “if it will probe all incidents of arson in Rivers”.

“Yes, I will appear before the panel if all cases of arson in Rivers are included in its assignment,” he said.

Okocha regretted that the state had become “a Rivers of trouble”, and blamed the situation on “the man who should protect everyone”.

“The governor is supposed to be the chief law officer, but he has failed in that crucial  task.

“We have a valid court judgement that stopped the local government election.

“It is that judgement that stopped the Police, security agencies and INEC from participating in the elections.

“Strangely, in spite of all, the governor went ahead with the elections. So, clearly, it is a nullity.”

On the cause of political upheavals in Rivers, Okocha declared that “Fubara is fighting himself”.

“The governor is fighting himself; the APC is only beginning to get strong now.

“We used to be just a social club as we have never won any election in Rivers.

“The PDP won the governorship seat in addition to the three Senate slots, the 12 seats in the House of Representatives and the 32 state assembly seats.

“So, it is one party fighting itself. The party was elected to serve, but what we are being served  is trouble,” he fumed.

He said 14 people aspired to govern the state on the PDP platform, but Fubara, “the least of them”, got the ticket and became governor.

“It means he was favoured over others. People were ignored in his favour and they are angry. Those are the people fighting him,” Okocha said.

The APC chairman expressed optimism that  Fubara’s squabble with his party would favour the APC in 2027.

“As the crisis festers, there is no project to Fubara’s name. He has not done anything to the Rivers people in close to two years.

“As a virile opposition, we are taking the governor on many issues.

“We want to demarket him so that we shall win the seat in 2027,” he said.

Okocha said that peace would have returned to Rivers State if Fubara had listened to President Bola Tinubu’s counsel.

“When Rivers was about to get burnt, President Tinubu stepped in to broker peace.

“He suggested that all court cases should be withdrawn and the Budget be re-presented before the House of Assembly.

“He also suggested that members of the House of Assembly should be given access to state matters.

“I recall that Fubara agreed and told Mr President that peace was priceless while terror was senseless, but we got a different thing when we returned home,” he said. (NAN)

Edited by Philip Yatai/Ephraims Sheyin