Four members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who had earlier withdrawn from impeachment proceedings against Gov. Siminalayi Fubara have reversed course and declared support for the process.
The lawmakers — Minority Leader Sylvanus Nwankwo, Peter Abbey of Degema constituency, Barile Nwakoh of Khana constituency I, and Emilia Amadi of Obio/Akpor constituency II — announced their decision Friday during a live broadcast from outside the assembly complex in Port Harcourt.
The move comes days after they publicly called for an amicable resolution to the political crisis in the oil-rich state.
Nwankwo said the lawmakers had appealed on Jan. 12 for dialogue between the legislature and the governor, but accused Fubara and his deputy of escalating tensions instead of pursuing reconciliation.
“During the pendency of this appeal, we found that the governor and the deputy governor employed their media aides to continually attack the Rivers State House of Assembly rather than seek the political solution we offered,” Nwankwo said. “On this basis, we have resolved that the impeachment proceedings should continue.”
Nwakoh and Amadi echoed the position, saying they backed the impeachment after concluding that the governor and his deputy showed no willingness to resolve the standoff through dialogue.
The development underscores deepening divisions within the assembly over the impeachment effort targeting Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, amid heightened political tensions in Rivers State.
