The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State has criticised the governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, over his remark at the funeral of the late Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe, his wife and son over the weekend.
The chairman of the seven-man Caretaker Committee of the APC in the state, Chief Tony Okocha, made the statement while briefing journalists at the party’s secretariat in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.
Governor Fubara during his speech at the funeral of the Wigwes, called out the political class, questioning the reasons for the struggle, and the desire to kill and bury.
Fubara was reacting to the life of Wigwe, his impact on society, his influence and money, and his inability to save himself even with all that he had.
But the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio who spoke after Fubara did not take the statement by the governor lightly, as he asked him to step down if he does not understand the reason for the struggle.
Speaking to journalists, Okocha noted that the remark by Governor Fubara was unnecessary, accusing him of seeking public validation.
The state APC CTC Chairman wondered why the governor would make such a political statement in such a gathering.
Okocha said: “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 was allowed to speak, 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.”
Okocha believed the response of Senate President Akpabio was in order, noting that the latter’s comment was to correct the governor that a funeral ground is not a place for such political statements.
“It is 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.”
Okocha also lambasted the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for criticising the Senate President for attacking Governor Fubara.
The Publicity Secretary of the PDP in the state, Sydney Gbara, released a statement, calling Senator Akpabio an enemy of the state.
The remarks by Fubara and Akpabio during the funeral of the Wigwes generated several reactions in the country, especially on social media.
