A civic watchdog group, the Good Governance Advocacy Centre (GGAC), has criticised the impeachment proceedings against Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, describing the move as a “political witch-hunt driven by personal interests rather than constitutional breaches.”
In a statement issued on Thursday and signed by a representative of the group, Dr Zaccheus Ocha, GGAC said the impeachment notice was weak, speculative, and politically motivated, and failed to meet the constitutional threshold required to initiate removal proceedings.
The group noted that the allegations levelled against the governor and his deputy fell within the discretionary powers of the executive arm of government.
“The Good Governance Advocacy Centre has concluded a 72-hour independent review which shows that no act of gross misconduct has been established against Governor Siminalayi Fubara or his deputy,” the statement read.
“What is being presented as impeachment is, in substance, a political project aimed at personal and factional gains, not the protection of constitutional order.”
GGAC linked the impeachment move to the lingering political feud between the governor and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, describing the crisis as a continuation of unresolved power struggles rather than a genuine accountability process.
“The pattern of events in Rivers State suggests that the impeachment proceedings are not occurring in a political vacuum,” the statement said.
“Our analysis indicates that the legislative actions against Governor Fubara are deeply rooted in the post-transition power tussle following the exit of the former governor, Nyesom Wike, and resistance to the governor’s efforts to assert institutional independence.”
The group warned that proceeding with the impeachment could plunge the state into prolonged instability, distract from governance, and undermine economic and security priorities in the oil-producing state.
It called on lawmakers to immediately suspend the proceedings and embrace dialogue, urging respected political leaders, elders, and civil society actors to intervene to prevent what it described as an “avoidable constitutional crisis engineered by political brinkmanship.”
“Rivers State does not need another season of manufactured instability,” GGAC said.“The interests of the citizens must take precedence over personal ambitions and unresolved political grievances.”
