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Rivers Govt Downplays Impeachment Moves, Denies Formal Communications from Assembly
The Rivers State government has downplayed the impeachment move against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu, insisting that there is no formal communication from the state House of Assembly regarding allegations of gross misconduct.
The assembly, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule and dominated by 27 pro-Wike lawmakers, issued a notice dated March 14, outlining allegations against Fubara and Odu.
The letter, signed by 26 lawmakers, accused the governor of reckless expenditure, obstructing the assembly, and making appointments without legislative approval, among other claims.
On Monday, Speaker Amaewhule announced the formal transmission of the notice to the governor and his deputy, citing Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which mandates that impeachment allegations be signed by at least one-third of house members.
He also directed Fubara and Odu to respond to the allegations within the stipulated period of 14 days.
However, Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Barrister Joseph Johnson, dismissed the move, stating that the letter was not addressed to the governor.
Speaking at a press briefing in Port Harcourt on Monday, he criticised the assembly for obstructing Fubara’s efforts to implement the Supreme Court’s recent judgement on the state’s prolonged political crisis.
Johnson added that the assembly’s actions were worsening the hardship faced by civil servants and pensioners due to the seized state allocation.
He noted that Fubara had demonstrated his commitment to obeying the court’s decision by directing local government chairmen to hand over to their administrative heads.
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) had also scheduled fresh elections for August 9, 2025, in compliance with the ruling.
This is the second impeachment attempt against the governor.
The first attempt to impeach Governor Fubara occurred on October 30, 2023.24 members of the Assembly had initiated impeachment proceedings against the governor, leading to significant unrest, including the burning of sections of the assembly complex and the eventual demolition of the complex.
Governor Fubara claimed he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt involving police gunfire during these events.
Meanwhile, in a related development, the assembly has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Tammy Danagogo, over allegations of extra-budgetary spending.
The lawmakers also called on the EFCC to probe financial misconduct allegedly linked to Danagogo.
Their move followed allegations by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, who accused the SSG of engineering the state’s political turmoil, including securing a court order barring Fubara from recognising the 27 lawmakers.
Reacting to the impeachment move, Abeni Mohammed (SAN) stated that removing a governor and deputy is a constitutional process that must be strictly followed.
“They must go through the State’s Chief Judge, who will set up a panel to determine whether the allegations constitute an impeachable offence.
The findings will then be returned to the Assembly before proceedings can commence,” he explained.
Mohammed added that Governor Fubara is unlikely to remain passive, given that the lawmakers have also breached the constitution by refusing to sit and adjourning indefinitely.
“The governor can challenge them in court to restrain any impeachment proceedings. Impeachment is a legal matter, and lawmakers must ensure they have not committed constitutional violations themselves. Let them serve the notice, and I am sure the governor’s lawyers know how to respond,” he said.
He also criticised the Supreme Court for interfering in an issue before the High Court, particularly regarding the status of the 27 defected lawmakers.
“The apex court had no reason to make pronouncements on whether the lawmakers had vacated their seats, as the matter was not before them.
“Their ruling emboldened the lawmakers, who themselves violated the constitution by defecting. Where and when did they sit to issue directives after indefinitely adjourning? They are playing politics at the expense of Rivers people,” he said.
Similarly, Taiye Oniyide (SAN) called for restraint, emphasising that both sides must prioritise the state’s interests over personal conflicts.
“This crisis has become unnecessarily personal. The power to impeach lies with the house, but this feud did not begin today. The entire nation is watching, and reasonable voices are urging caution,” he noted.
Oniyide further alleged that former Governor Nyesom Wike had tacitly approved the impeachment attempt through his recent comments.
“This is pure political vendetta. Unfortunately, the people of Rivers suffer the most, as critical development is stalled. Governance should not be driven by bitterness,” he said.
Adebayo Adelabu, one of the aspirants for the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket in Oyo State, has alleged irregularities in the party’s governorship primary election held on Thursday.
Adelabu, who expressed dissatisfaction over the conduct of the exercise, stated that the primary was characterized by misconduct ranging from disenfranchisement of his supporters in some wards and the commencement of election process earlier than scheduled.
Speaking after the conclusion of the primary election at IMG School, Ward 9, Ibadan South-East Local Government Area, the immediate past Minister of Power alleged that the process was neither free, fair nor credible.
He said: “Before our people started getting to their various wards, they have already conducted the election and they wrote the figures they want as results.
“In some wards, our people were prevented from voting. They were intimidated. They were chased away violently. And in some wards, voting did not take place at all.
“All this kind of misconduct is not good at this stage of our democracy in Nigeria, and something has to be done about it.”
Adelabu, therefore, vowed to come up with serious petitions against all the irregularities not just in Ibadan, but across all the five geopolitical zones in Oyo State.
“Also, conduct of many party executives is uncalled for, a lot of people bought forms and they were cleared. And they decided to conduct affirmation of a particular candidate in some wards.
“There was nothing like consensus arrangement. It was just a figment of their weird imagination. The instruction we got from Abuja was that we should all carry out free, fair, and transparent direct primary election where every aspirant will be given a level playing ground and the election will be conducted peacefully.
“Where did they get the idea of consensus candidates? And this is what happened in a lot of the wards. And it didn’t go down well with us. “We don’t want that. We are going to assess the gravity of this gross misconduct and the potential impact on the overall result of this election.
“I will put a petition forward to the appropriate authorities so that it can be deeply investigated and there must be consequences to this. The people who perpetrated this misconduct must be identified and punished. And the aspirants involved also need to be suspended because this is not good for us.
“Democracy is the government of the people by the people and for the people where nobody should be disenfranchised. Once you are a party member, you should have that freedom, that authority to pick an aspirant of your choice as the flag bearer of the party.
“This is Ibadan, this is Oyo State and this the centre of politics in the southwest. And we should be able to lay good examples and the process should produce a candidate that won transparently, freely and fairly,” he said.
Meanwhile, at Ward 9, Ibadan South-East Local Government, Adelabu, polled 430 to defeat his closest rival, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, who had 3 votes.
Al Nassr captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, has finally won the Saudi Pro League title.
They were confirmed champions on Thursday, thanks to a 4-2 drubbing of relegation battlers, Damac.
The title race had gone down to the final day after Al-Nassr dramatically dropped points against Al-Hilal the previous week.
Jorge Jesus’ side knew there could be no mistakes against a Damac side fighting for survival at the other end of the table.
Ronaldo was on the scoresheet, as his brace helped Al Nassr secure the title ahead of rivals Al Hilal.
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has announced his withdrawal from the All Progressives Congress governorship primary election in the state.
Fubara made this known in a statement personally signed on Wednesday, saying he would support whoever emerges as the party’s candidate, The Nations reported.
The governor said his decision followed extensive consultations with his family, friends, and political associates.
“After deep reflection and extensive consultations with my family, friends, and associates, I have taken the difficult but necessary decision to withdraw from the APC governorship primaries. I do so with a full heart and with a firm commitment to support whoever emerges as the candidate of our great party,” Fubara said.
Fubara said although the decision was difficult, he remained committed to supporting whoever would emerge as the APC governorship candidate.
According to him, leadership demands sacrifice and personal ambition must sometimes give way to the collective interest of the people.
Meanwhile, the embattled governor expressed appreciation to his supporters for their loyalty, prayers and sacrifices throughout the political process, acknowledging that many would feel disappointed by his withdrawal.
He said his silence in recent weeks was “deliberate and strategic,” adding that it was guided by the higher interest of the state.
Tone Cole, APC chieftain and 2027 governorship aspirant in Rivers State, also announced his withdrawal from the race, saying his decision was, among other reasons, in the interest of the party’s unity.
