Four members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who had earlier withdrawn from the impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara have reversed their decision and declared support for the process.
The lawmakers — Minority Leader Sylvanus Nwankwo, Peter Abbey (Degema Constituency), Barile Nwakoh (Khana Constituency I) and Emilia Amadi (Obio/Akpor Constituency II) — made the U-turn on Friday during a live broadcast from the front of the Assembly complex, days after calling for an amicable resolution of the political crisis in the state.
Explaining the shift, Nwankwo said, “You will recall that on the 12th day of January 2026, myself and my colleague, Honourable Peter Abbey, addressed the press, wherein we made a plea to our colleagues to seek for a political solution to this impasse that is going on between the Assembly and the Governor of Rivers State.”
He added that the lawmakers changed course after concluding that the governor and his deputy had shown no willingness to resolve the crisis through dialogue, saying, “During the pendency of this appeal, we found out that the governor and the deputy governor, they have all employed their media boys and aides to continuously attack the Rivers State House of Assembly instead of seeking for the political solution which we offer… it is on this basis that I, Honourable Sylvanus Nwankwo, and my fellow colleague here, Honorable Peter Abbey, say that the impeachment proceedings should continue.”
Nwakoh and Amadi echoed the position, backing the impeachment of Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, as tensions persist within the Assembly, which last week, under Speaker Martin Amaewhule, initiated impeachment proceedings over alleged gross misconduct, including the demolition of the Assembly complex and spending without legislative approval, with members insisting on Friday that the process would continue as constitutional and necessary to resolve the political impasse.