Four members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have appealed to their colleagues to discontinue the impeachment process initiated against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu.
The lawmakers — Barile Nwakoh, who represents Khana I State Constituency; Emilia Amadi of Obio/Akpor II State Constituency; Sylvanus Enyinna Nwankwo, the Minority Leader and member representing Omuma State Constituency; and Peter Abbey from Degema State Constituency — made their positions known between Monday and Wednesday.
Nwakoh and Amadi, addressing journalists in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, urged the House to exercise restraint and withdraw the impeachment notice served on the governor and his deputy last week.
Their appeal followed an earlier move by Nwankwo and Abbey, who on Monday publicly distanced themselves from the impeachment proceedings and called on the Assembly to de-escalate tensions and adopt dialogue and collective wisdom in resolving the political situation in the state.
So far, four out of the 26 lawmakers who signed the impeachment notice have indicated their intention to withdraw from the process. The remaining 22 members have not signalled any such move. The spokesperson of the House, Enemi Alabo George, said the impeachment process “is still ongoing”.
While acknowledging that the impeachment notice cited alleged constitutional breaches by Governor Fubara and his deputy, Nwankwo and Abbey said the Assembly should temper justice with mercy and place the overall interest of Rivers State above partisan considerations.
They warned that actions capable of destabilising the state could undermine democratic governance and erode public confidence, stressing that peace, dialogue and statesmanship were required at the current juncture.
“The peace of Rivers State is paramount. This is a moment for reflection, dialogue, and statesmanship,” they said, adding that history would judge the Assembly by the decisions it takes at this critical time.
Observers say the House may be at a crossroads following public reactions to the impeachment process, with the withdrawal by the four lawmakers potentially offering a pathway for the Assembly to step back from the crisis.
