The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) criticized Governor Siminalayi Fubara for his comments at the funeral of Herbert Wigwe, the late CEO of Access Bank, along with his wife and son over the weekend.
Chief Tony Okocha, the chairman of the seven-man Caretaker Committee of the APC in the state, expressed this criticism during a press briefing at the party’s secretariat in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.
During his speech at the funeral, Governor Fubara called out the political class, questioning their motives for the struggle and their willingness to resort to violence.
Fubara reflected on Wigwe’s life, his societal impact, wealth, and influence, noting that despite all his resources, he was unable to save himself.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who spoke after Fubara, took issue with the governor’s remarks and suggested that he step down if he did not understand the nature of the struggle.
Okocha, speaking to journalists, criticized Governor Fubara’s comments as unnecessary and accused him of seeking public approval.
The state APC CTC Chairman questioned why the governor would make such a political statement at a funeral.
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 agreed with Senate President Akpabio’s response, stating that Akpabio’s comment was appropriate. He pointed out that the governor was mistaken in making political statements at a funeral ground.
“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 criticized the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for condemning the Senate President’s criticism of Governor Fubara.
Sydney Gbara, the Publicity Secretary of the PDP in the state, issued a statement labeling Senator Akpabio as an enemy of the state.
The comments made by Fubara and Akpabio at the funeral of the Wigwes sparked various reactions across the country, particularly on social media.
