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Four lawmakers of the Rivers State House of Assembly have reversed their earlier position and reaffirmed their support for the impeachment of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday in Port Harcourt, the state capital, Sylvanus Enyinna Nwankwo (Minority Leader, Omuma State Constituency), Peter Abbey (Degema Constituency), Barile Nwakoh (Khana I State Constituency), and Emilia Amadi (Obio/Akpor II Constituency) said the governor and his deputy had shown no remorse over the allegations levelled against them by the Assembly.
“We have reconsidered our position and recommit fully to the impeachment process. The governor has continued to ignore the constitutional mandate of this House and has shown no remorse over the allegations raised against him and his deputy,” said Nwankwo.
The lawmakers explained that their reversal follows a review of developments since earlier in the week, when the House failed to reconvene plenary, one week after adjourning amid rising tension over the impeachment process.
“It is clear that previous attempts to reach a political solution have failed. We are determined to proceed with this constitutional process to protect the integrity of the legislature and uphold the rule of law in Rivers State,” Abbey said.
The press briefing also referenced statements made earlier on Friday by other Assembly members, who insisted that the impeachment process would continue despite what they described as attempts by the executive to intimidate the legislature.
“We are open to considering a political solution, but the governor and deputy governor are ignoring us. They are adamant about continuing with illegal actions in the state, and they are undermining our oversight functions,” Emilia Amadi told reporters.
Earlier in the day, members of the Assembly had stressed that impeachment is a constitutional mechanism for checks and balances and has no ethnic agenda.
“Impeachment is one of the mechanisms set up in the Constitution for checks and balances. Impeachment is not and should not have any ethnic agenda,” said Barile Nwakoh.
Other lawmakers also reaffirmed that the process is strictly institutional.
“What we intend or are about to do is one of our duties as legislators, which is to check and oversee the executive. Sections of the Constitution empower us to supervise and investigate when there are allegations of gross misconduct,” Amadi added.
“There is nothing we are doing that is not in the Constitution, and we stand by it.”
The recommitment by Nwankwo, Abbey, Nwakoh, and Amadi marks a critical turning point in the impeachment saga, which has been characterised by political maneuvering, public debate, and warnings from the judiciary. The Rivers State Government has yet to issue a response to the lawmakers’ renewed stance.
Boluwatife Enome
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