The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State, Tony Okocha has criticized former President Goodluck Jonathan for his silence following the demolition of the state House of Assembly.
Okocha made the remarks in a video shared by Viable TV from 0:21, questioning why Jonathan did not speak out against what he described as an “affront to democracy.”
“I don’t know whether any one of you can say that in your findings, in your publications, that when the Assembly was pulled down, somebody like Goodluck Jonathan made a statement. He didn’t. It was also an affront to democracy,” Okocha said.
Okocha, who served as Chief of Staff to former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi between 2012 and 2015 compared the current political crisis in Rivers to past incidents under Jonathan’s administration.
He recalled the controversial role of then-Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mbu, whom he accused of fostering lawlessness in the state.
“You all know the case of the police commissioner who was deployed deliberately to Rivers State, CP Joseph Mbu. At that period, there was lawlessness, complete lawlessness. But the only difference was that it was the state fighting the state,” he added.
The APC chairman’s comments come amid ongoing political tensions in Rivers State where a power struggle between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike has led to multiple crises including the destruction of the state Assembly complex.
Jonathan, who led Nigeria from 2010 to 2015 has yet to respond to the claims, however, his tenure was marked by political turbulence in Rivers with Amaechi frequently at odds with the federal government.
Political observers continue to monitor developments as tensions in Rivers remain high.