Rivers impeachment: Two Lawmakers step back, call for peaceful resolution

Two members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have pulled out of the ongoing impeachment process against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu, urging their colleagues to seek an amicable settlement.

The lawmakers are the Minority Leader of the Assembly, Sylvanus Nwankwo, who represents Omuma State Constituency, and Peter Abbey of Degema State Constituency.

Speaking with journalists, Nwankwo and Abbey acknowledged that Governor Fubara may have breached certain constitutional provisions but appealed to other legislators to regard the issues as human errors that should be resolved through dialogue rather than impeachment.

They disclosed that they had received appeals from several stakeholders within and outside Rivers State, all calling for peace and reconciliation between the governor and members of the Assembly.

The Rivers State House of Assembly had last Thursday initiated impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara and his deputy after the Assembly Leader, Major Jack, read allegations of gross misconduct against them. The charges, signed by 26 lawmakers, were accompanied by a seven-day ultimatum for the governor and his deputy to respond.

This development marks the third impeachment attempt against Fubara and Odu since they assumed office in 2023. Previous efforts in 2023 and 2025, arising from political tensions between the governor and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, were halted following the intervention of President Bola Tinubu before a state of emergency was declared in the state.