The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has constituted a seven-member peace and reconciliation committee to address the escalating political crisis in Rivers State, giving the panel a two-week mandate to broker peace and restore stability.
The committee, inaugurated in Abuja on Monday, is chaired by former Attorney-General of the Federation, Kanu Agabi, SAN, with Senator Obende Domingo serving as vice chairman. Other members include former Minister of Housing, Chief Essien Nduese; retired Federal Permanent Secretary, Dr. Timiebi Koripamo-Agari; former Director of the Department of State Services, Chief Mike Ejiofor; former Cross River State Attorney-General, Mrs. Nella Rabana-Andem, SAN; while PANDEF’s Deputy National Secretary, Prince Godwin Okotie, will serve as secretary.
Inaugurating the panel, PANDEF National Chairman, Ambassador Godknows Igali, said the committee was tasked with de-escalating tensions between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the Rivers State House of Assembly, facilitating dialogue between the executive and legislature, and charting a pathway to lasting peace in the state.
Igali urged both Governor Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike—who are members of PANDEF—to commit themselves to the reconciliation process and respect the committee’s outcome in the interest of the state and the Niger Delta region.
According to him, the committee’s terms of reference include identifying the principal actors driving the crisis, engaging critical stakeholders such as former governors, traditional rulers, and political leaders, and submitting a comprehensive report with practical recommendations to PANDEF’s Board of Trustees and the President within 14 days.
Accepting the assignment, Agabi described the task as a solemn national duty, calling on all parties to embrace humility, dialogue, forgiveness, and compromise. He warned that a prolonged crisis could negatively impact the welfare of Rivers residents and pose broader risks to national stability.
The inauguration was attended by prominent Niger Delta leaders, including the Amayanabo of Twon-Brass, King Alfred Papapreye Diete-Spiff, former governors, and other eminent personalities such as Obong Victor Attah. Diete-Spiff appealed to both Wike and Fubara to embrace peace, while Attah stressed the importance of neutrality and urged the committee to place the welfare of Rivers people above personal or political interests.
Rivers Crisis, Impeachment Plot
Rivers State, one of Nigeria’s major oil-producing states, has been plunged into renewed political turmoil following a standoff between Governor Fubara and lawmakers aligned with his predecessor, Nyesom Wike.
Last Thursday, members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, formally initiated impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu.
The Majority Leader, Major Jack, presented a notice signed by 26 lawmakers, detailing several allegations of gross misconduct against the governor.
The allegations include the alleged spending of over ₦800 billion outside the approved budget without legislative approval, withholding funds meant for the Assembly Service Commission, the demolition of the Assembly complex, and alleged defiance of Supreme Court rulings on legislative autonomy.
A separate impeachment notice was also read against the deputy governor, accusing her of colluding in unconstitutional expenditures.
Speaker Amaewhule announced that the impeachment notices would be served on the governor and his deputy within seven days, in accordance with constitutional provisions.
The latest developments signal a fresh escalation in Rivers State’s long-running political crisis, rooted in the fallout between Governor Fubara and former governor Nyesom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
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