Lawmakers in Nigeria’s Rivers State say they will continue impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, despite earlier calls for dialogue to resolve the political crisis in the state.
The Rivers State House of Assembly said on Friday that it would not withdraw from the impeachment process, which was formally initiated last week over allegations of gross misconduct.
Four lawmakers who had earlier urged their colleagues to pursue a political settlement have now reversed their position and declared support for the impeachment. They are the Assembly’s Minority Leader, Sylvanus Nwankwo, along with Peter Abbey, Barile Nwakoh and Emilia Amadi.
Speaking during a live broadcast outside the Assembly complex in Port Harcourt, Mr Nwankwo said the lawmakers had lost confidence in the governor’s willingness to resolve the crisis through dialogue.
He accused Governor Fubara and his deputy of undermining efforts at reconciliation by allowing continued public criticism of the Assembly through media aides.
“Instead of seeking the political solution we proposed, the governor and deputy governor continued to attack the House through the media,” Mr Nwankwo said.
Other lawmakers supporting the reversal said they were not convinced that the governor and his deputy were committed to resolving the dispute peacefully.
The impeachment move, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, is based on allegations including the demolition of the Assembly complex and the alleged spending of public funds without legislative approval. The governor and his deputy have denied the allegations.
The renewed push for impeachment follows speculation that the process had stalled after the Assembly failed to reconvene for plenary earlier in the week.
Meanwhile, Assembly leaders have reportedly called on the state’s Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Amadi, to set up a seven-member panel to investigate the allegations, as required by the constitution.
