Bode George, a former deputy national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has urged party stakeholders and elders to become involved in the political turmoil that is roiling Rivers State.

George, who made this call on Friday, warned President Bola Tinubu not to take the danger of certain state House of Assembly lawmakers impeaching Governor Siminalayi Fubara lightly and warned that the Rivers situation might turn into a national catastrophe.

But he cautioned against letting people sit on the sidelines and act like nothing was wrong, stating that the PDP owns the state.

George insisted that all PDP lawmakers who switched to the All Progressives Congress, or APC, had automatically lost their seats and were “in no position to threaten Governor Fubara,” citing Section 109 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution, which stipulates that a member of the House of Assembly shall vacate his seat if he moves to another party.

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“So their plot to commence impeachment proceedings against the governor is already in vain,” he stressed.

George added, “Rivers people belong to PDP. Those threatening to impeach the governor are being remote-controlled by some forces. This must stop because if Rivers is set on fire today, that may end this democracy.

“We should remember ‘Operation Wetie’ which started in the defunct Western Region and eventually consumed the nation and ended the First Republic in 1966.

“All the actors in this crisis in Rivers should avoid actions likely to cause breach of peace and breakdown of law and order in our country.

“Members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of our party should be the elders in the room, act swiftly and nip this crisis in the bud before it consumes everybody.

“All the gladiators should also think of the collective interests of Nigerians.

“Whether we are members of PDP, APC or other parties, we should stop issuing provocative statements to increase the tension in Rivers.

“Any move that can truncate this democracy must be stopped immediately. Enough is enough.”

On Friday, the Rivers State House of Assembly complex’s entry and exit were taken over by men from the Nigerian Police Force.

The parliamentarians’ estate’s first and second gates were surrounded by more than thirty police officers, and the remaining two entries were blocked by roughly twenty-five patrol trucks.

Shortly after Speaker of the House Martins Amaewhule accused Governor Sim Fubara of plotting to destroy the parliamentary quarters, the police arrived.

Victor Oko Jumbo, a factional speaker, has emerged, throwing the state assembly into confusion.

However, Emeka Amadi, the clerk of the Rivers State House of Assembly, had repudiated the Assembly faction led by Fubara.

Amadi urged that Martin Amaewhule continue to serve as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

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This comes after Fubara and Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), squared off over the state’s political system.

Fubara made an unexpected visit to the facility on Thursday, stating that he was there to gain access after a new speaker emerged.

“Is the Assembly quarters not part of my property? Is there anything wrong in going to check how things are going on there?

“You are aware of the developments. We have a new speaker, and I went there to see for myself how things are. There might be a few things I might want to do there for the good of our people,” the governor said.

Obinna Nwosu, the African Democratic Congress’s (ADC) representative for the Ikwuano/Umuahia federal district in 2023, has left the party to run for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State.

This was announced by Nwosu in a statement on Wednesday in the state capital of Umuahia.

The chieftain of Abia claimed that he joined the party in order to back the administration and advance national development.

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He said: “Today, I officially joined the All Progressives Congress at the ward level. Our country Nigeria is going through a transition phase and to unlock the next chapter which will bring prosperity to the nation, citizens have to make a deliberate effort to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration

“I am joining the APC to support the government and contribute to the development of our dear country.

“I want to thank all my supporters from Abia State who have followed me on this journey.

“I hope this epoch event will encourage more young Abians, indeed igbo youths from the southeast to start aligning with national politics.”