Fresh Twist as 4 Pro-Fubara Rivers Lawmakers Change Mind, Back Impeachment Move
- Four Rivers State House of Assembly members who earlier withdrew from the impeachment move against Governor Siminalayi Fubara have reversed their decision
- The lawmakers said the governor and his deputy failed to show remorse and continued to attack the Assembly through aides
- The impeachment process is linked to the ongoing political feud between Governor Fubara and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike
Legit.ng's Muslim Muhammad Yusuf is a 2025 Wole Soyinka Award-winning journalist with over 8 years of experience in investigative reporting, human rights, politics, governance and accountability in Nigeria.
Port Harcourt, Rivers - Four members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who had earlier withdrawn from the impeachment move against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, have reversed their decision and declared fresh support for the process.
The lawmakers made this known during a press conference held in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Friday, January 16.
Source: Facebook
Those who changed their stance are the Minority Leader of the House, Sylvanus Nwankwo, representing Omuma State Constituency; Peter Abbey of Degema State Constituency; Barile Nwakoh of Khana State Constituency I; and Emilia Amadi of Obio/Akpor State Constituency II.
Last week, the four lawmakers had publicly distanced themselves from the impeachment move and appealed to their colleagues to explore an amicable resolution to the political crisis rocking the state.
Lawmakers cite lack of remorse
Explaining their decision to backtrack, the Minority Leader, Mr Nwankwo, said Governor Fubara and his deputy failed to demonstrate remorse or show willingness to pursue a political solution.
He alleged that instead of engaging in dialogue, the governor and his deputy deployed media aides to attack the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“You will recall that on the 12th of January, my colleague, Honourable Peter Abbey, and I addressed the press and appealed for a political solution to the crisis between the Assembly and the governor,” Nwankwo said.
“However, during this period, we discovered that the governor and deputy governor had engaged their media aides to continue attacking the Rivers State House of Assembly, rather than seeking the political solution we proposed.” He added.
According to him, this development compelled him and Abbey to withdraw their appeal and support the continuation of the impeachment process.
Source: UGC
Claims of constitutional infractions
Speaking further, Barile Nwakoh, who is also the Deputy Minority Leader, claimed that the governor and his deputy were unwilling to retrace their steps or govern in line with constitutional provisions.
She accused them of attempting to intimidate lawmakers into abandoning the impeachment move while allegedly continuing constitutional violations.
“They are adamant. We are now convinced that their strategy is to intimidate us into withdrawing the impeachment process for the third time, while they continue their infractions on the Constitution and the law,” Nwakoh said.
She added that the lawmakers would not allow the executive to undermine the Assembly’s oversight responsibilities, describing such actions as harmful to democracy.
Assembly to proceed with impeachment
Also speaking at the briefing, Emilia Amadi confirmed that she and her colleagues had officially rejoined the impeachment move against Governor Fubara and his deputy.
She said their decision followed careful consideration of recent developments and what they described as the governor’s disregard for reconciliation efforts.
Background to the crisis
On January 8, the Rivers State House of Assembly initiated a third impeachment process against Governor Fubara.
The move came shortly after the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, accused the governor of breaching the terms of a peace agreement brokered by President Bola Tinubu in June 2025.
Two days later, the Assembly denied reports suggesting it had discontinued the impeachment process.
On January 11, lawmakers claimed they uncovered alleged plans by unnamed individuals to use the courts to halt legislative sittings and frustrate the impeachment move.
The impeachment process is tied to the prolonged political feud between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, with the majority of lawmakers in the Assembly believed to be loyal to the FCT minister.
Two lawmakers earlier withdrew
Legit.ng earlier reported that Rivers' political crisis has taken a fresh dimension as two lawmakers from the State House of Assembly backed out from the move by the assembly to sack Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who was earlier served the notice of impeachment by the legislators amid outburst with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
The lawmakers, Hon. Sylvanus Nwankwo, the representative of Omuma State Constituency and the Minority Leader of the Assembly, along with Hon. Peter Abbey from Degema State Constituency, announced their backing out at a press conference on Monday, January 12.
Fubara yet to receive impeachment notice
Meanwhile, Rivers governor Siminalayi Fubara is yet to receive any formal impeachment notice despite proceedings initiated by lawmakers loyal to Nyesom Wike.
According to a source, two legislators withdrew from the plot and urged colleagues to suspend the move and seek a peaceful resolution.
Source: Legit.ng
