Impeachment of Fubara ongoing, not halted — Rivers Assembly; elders fault grounds

The Rivers State House of Assembly has insisted that the impeachment process against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, remains ongoing and has not been suspended.

At the same time, the Rivers Elders and Leadership Forum (RELF) has strongly criticised the grounds cited by the lawmakers for the impeachment, describing them as disturbingly weak and lacking constitutional substance.

The lawmakers had commenced impeachment proceedings on Thursday, but reports emerged on Friday suggesting that the process had been put on hold.

Dismissing the reports, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Petitions and Complaints, Enemi George, said the claims were false.

According to him, notices of gross misconduct had already been served on Governor Fubara and his deputy, and the Assembly was awaiting their responses.

“We are aware that certain persons and media platforms are at it again to misinform the public, particularly to the effect that the process has been halted or discontinued,” George said.

“Some are trending false narratives to cause disaffection between the House and well-meaning Nigerians.

“Therefore, with the leave of the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule DSSRS, I call on all and sundry to disregard their antics, as their actions have already failed.

“We remain committed to our constitutional duties and will not be dissuaded by cheap blackmail or threats from those who do not have our country’s nascent democracy at heart,” he added.

Elders kick against impeachment

In a statement issued on Friday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers Elders and Leadership Forum condemned the impeachment move, warning that it appeared motivated by narrow personal interests rather than the pursuit of good governance.

The statement was signed by the forum’s Acting Chairman, Dr. Gabriel Toby, a former Deputy Governor of Rivers State.

Dr. Toby emphasised that impeachment is a grave constitutional process that should not be trivialised or deployed as a weapon in political or factional disputes.

“Impeachment is a serious constitutional process, not a tool for political vendettas or factional struggles. The reasons so far advanced in support of this action are disturbingly weak, lacking substance, public interest justification, or constitutional weight. They appear driven by narrow personal interests rather than genuine concern for good governance,” he said.

The elders reminded lawmakers that Governor Fubara’s mandate was freely given by the people of Rivers State and can only be challenged in strict adherence to constitutional provisions.

Dr. Toby cautioned that the impeachment effort could further aggravate the political tension in the state, noting that Rivers had yet to fully recover from the emergency rule previously imposed before the current proceedings were initiated.

He urged the Assembly to reconsider its actions in the interest of peace, unity and development.

“We warn that the current course of action risks deepening political divisions, eroding public trust in democratic institutions, and further destabilising an already fragile polity,” he said.

The Rivers elders therefore called on the House of Assembly to immediately halt the impeachment process and place the collective interest, peace and progress of Rivers State above all other considerations.

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