Impeachment: Amidst concerns, Rivers Assembly says bid to oust Fubara, deputy, not political 

… As factional APC, Ijaw youths reject impeachment bid

Amidst concerns and criticisms, the Rivers State House of Assembly has explained that its impeachment notice to Siminalayi Fubara, state governor, and Ngozi Odu, his deputy, was not motivated by political interests.

This followed concerns, across divides in the state, over what many see as truncating the existing peace and endangering efforts at socioeconomic development.

Enemi Alabo George, spokesperson of the Assembly, representing Asari Toru 2, denied allegations that the impeachment was influenced by Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and former governor of the state.

He said the notice is in strict compliance with constitutional provision and not a behest of any political figure nor political coloration.

“First of all, it is irresponsible and very, very reprehensible for anyone to assume or assert that the impeachment move that we have done in accordance with Section 1 of the Constitution is political.

“There is nothing we have said in this impeachment that Nigerians do not know. The governor is in breach of numerous aspects of the Constitution, in breach of Section 125, 125 and 126 that provide for an auditorium of the state and then auditorial accounts of the state.

“See, if in section 1 of this administration, the law says auditorial accounts must be presented to the House of Assembly, it has never been done. I challenge anyone to show me proof that that has been done,” he said.

Read also: Rivers’ fragile peace threatened as Fubara faces fresh impeachment

Enemi Alabo George also explained that those criticizing the impeachment process served the governor have not been sincere.

“I challenged Nigerians to look critically on the allegations made on the Rivers State House Assembly and to argue on the length of the arguments, whether the governor has breached constitutional provisions or not.

“The governor is in breach of section 192, which says that commissioner nominations will be sent to the House of Assembly, and the House of Assembly shall screen and approve for the governor.

“The governor is running ministries with friends who were never appointed or sworn in, and then they allow the permanent secretaries to sign.

“The governor is in breach of the Rivers State Fiscal Responsibility Law, which says that there must be a medium-term expenditure framework upon which the budget of the state must be built.

“There has never been a budget. We never had a budget for 2024, we never had for 2025, 2026, we still do not have. The question I want to ask is that who is going to take responsibility for the public funds that are being spent,” he asked.

Meanwhile, the Emeka Beke-led faction of the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Ijaw National Congress (INC) have called for calm and a discontinuation of the impeachment move against Governor Fubara.

Darlington Nwauju, Spokesperson of the factional APC urged the lawmakers to embrace dialogue and resolve their differences with the executive arm of government.

Read also: Impeachment: Fubara, threat to democracy – Amaewhule

He said the difference between the Assembly and the governor “is more or less a party affair, given the fact that the governor is now a member of the All-Progressive Congress and not just a member, but leader of the All-Progressive Congress in Rivers State, and majority of the lawmakers are now members of the All-Progressive Congress.

“And so we see the latest issues as things that can be handled. And so we have called on all the warring factions to shield themselves, to discontinue with the impeachment process, and allow reason to prevail,” he said.

Nwauju also warned that the impeachment move would derail the peace effort of President Bola Tinubu in resolving the political crisis in Rivers State.

Also, the Eastern Zone of the Ijaw National Congress (INC) and the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) have called on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to immediately de-escalate political hostilities towards Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.

Abel Peterside and Gabriel Allen, leaders of the INC and IYC, Eastern Zone, in a joint briefing on Thursday January 8, 2026, expressed concern over what they described as the minister’s increasingly confrontational posture, warning that it poses a threat to peace, democratic order and stability in Rivers State.