Four members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have withdrawn their earlier call for a political resolution of the crisis in the state and declared renewed support for the ongoing impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu.
The lawmakers announced their change of position during a press conference held on Friday in Port Harcourt, where they accused the governor of showing no remorse over allegations of gross misconduct and refusing to pursue dialogue to resolve the lingering political impasse in the state.
Speaking on behalf of the group, the Minority Leader of the House, Sylvanus Nwankwo, who represents Omuma Constituency, said their decision followed what they described as persistent attacks on the Assembly by the governor and his deputy through aides and media associates.
Nwankwo recalled that on January 12, he and another lawmaker, Peter Abbey, had appealed to their colleagues to consider a political solution to the crisis between the executive and the legislature. He said the appeal was made in good faith but was undermined by subsequent actions of the governor and his deputy.
According to him, rather than embracing dialogue, the governor allegedly encouraged continued verbal attacks on lawmakers, leaving them with no option but to withdraw their earlier plea.
On his part, Abbey accused the governor and deputy governor of engaging in actions that undermine the legislature and violate constitutional provisions. He stressed that the issue should not be viewed through ethnic lenses, noting that constitutional compliance, not ethnicity, was at stake.
Abbey maintained that the impeachment process should proceed, insisting that the lawmakers were acting within the bounds of the law.
Also speaking, the Deputy Minority Leader, Barile Nwakoh, alleged that both the governor and his deputy had remained defiant in what she described as constitutional violations. She further accused them of attempting to intimidate lawmakers into abandoning the impeachment process.
Nwakoh, who represents Khana Constituency I, described the situation as unhealthy for democracy but commended President Bola Tinubu for his earlier intervention in the Rivers State political crisis. She, however, expressed regret that the intervention had not yielded the desired outcome.
According to her, the governor and his deputy had shown no willingness to retrace their steps or govern in accordance with constitutional provisions, prompting the lawmakers to continue with the impeachment move.
The fourth lawmaker, Emilia Lucky-Amadi, representing Obio/Akpor II Constituency, said the group rescinded its earlier position after concluding that the governor had ignored their advice and refused to explore political solutions.
Lucky-Amadi alleged that the governor and his deputy had continued what she termed illegal actions and openly dismissed the authority of the Assembly, including its constitutional oversight functions.
The Rivers State House of Assembly had earlier initiated impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara and his deputy over allegations of gross misconduct. On Friday, the House also voted in favour of the inauguration of a probe panel by the Chief Judge of the state to investigate the allegations against the two top officials.
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