Four members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who had earlier withdrawn from the impeachment process against Governor Siminalayi Fubara have reversed their decision and declared renewed support for the move.
The lawmakers are the Minority Leader, Sylvanus Nwankwo; Peter Abbey of Degema Constituency; Barile Nwakoh of Khana Constituency I; and Emilia Amadi of Obio/Akpor Constituency II. They announced the U-turn on Friday during a live broadcast from the front of the Assembly complex in Port Harcourt.
Explaining the decision, Nwankwo recalled that he and Abbey had earlier appealed for a political solution to the crisis between the executive and the legislature. He said their position changed after observing what they described as continued attacks on the Assembly by the governor and his deputy through media aides, rather than efforts at dialogue.
Nwakoh and Amadi also said they decided to back the impeachment after concluding that Governor Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, had shown no willingness to resolve the impasse through reconciliation.
The Rivers Assembly, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, had commenced impeachment proceedings last week over allegations of gross misconduct, including the demolition of the Assembly complex and alleged spending of public funds without legislative approval. With the lawmakers’ reversal, the impeachment process appears to have regained momentum within the House.
