Four Rivers Lawmakers Reverse Withdrawal, Back Fubara Impeachment
Four members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who recently withdrew from impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara have reversed their decision and declared support for the process.
The lawmakers are the Minority Leader of the House, Sylvanus Nwankwo; Peter Abbey, representing Degema constituency; Barile Nwakoh; and Emilia Amadi.
They made the U-turn on Friday during a live broadcast from the Assembly complex, days after publicly calling for an amicable resolution to the political crisis rocking Rivers State.
Nwankwo said the initial withdrawal was informed by an appeal for dialogue between the Assembly and the governor.
“You will recall that on the 12th day of January 2026, myself and my colleague, Honourable Peter Abbey, addressed the press, wherein we made a plea to our colleagues to seek for a political solution to this impasse,” he said.
He added that the decision to return to the impeachment process followed what they described as sustained media attacks by the governor and his deputy against the Assembly.
“Instead of seeking for the political solution which we offered, the governor and the deputy governor employed their media aides to continuously attack the Rivers State House of Assembly. It is on this basis that we say the impeachment proceedings should continue,” Nwankwo said.
Also speaking, Nwakoh and Amadi said they chose to back the impeachment after concluding that the governor and his deputy showed no willingness to resolve the crisis through dialogue.
The development comes amid rising tensions in the Assembly over the impeachment move against Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu.
The House, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, last week commenced impeachment proceedings against the governor and his deputy over alleged gross misconduct. The allegations include the demolition of the Assembly complex and the alleged spending of public funds without legislative approval.
Between Monday and Wednesday, the four lawmakers had announced their withdrawal from the process, citing the need for dialogue and political reconciliation.
However, members of the Assembly on Friday insisted that the impeachment process would continue, describing it as constitutional and the only solution to the political impasse in the state.
The latest reversal followed the Assembly’s failure to reconvene for plenary on Thursday, one week after adjourning its last sitting, amid speculation of internal disagreements among lawmakers.
With the lawmakers’ renewed backing, the impeachment process appears to have regained momentum within the House.
Related to this topic:
