By Adesina Soyooye
A call by the Mandate Group of the All Progressive Congress has asked for the immediate discontinuation of the impeachment proceedings against the Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his Deputy, Ngozi Odu.
The Mandate Group described the move as “constitutionally flawed, politically motivated, and a direct affront to the peace accord personally brokered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
The Mandate Group in a statement issued on Thursday and signed by Ayodele Alonge, warned that the impeachment initiated by the Rivers State House of Assembly, is a product of a “faulty legal line and must be suspended to prevent further destabilisation of the state.”
It says: “The ongoing impeachment proceedings are fundamentally flawed and lack the constitutional and procedural grounding required for such a serious action.
“More than a legal misstep, this is an affront on the office of the President who personally mediated the peace between Governor Fubara, Minister Nyesom Wike, and the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“It undermines the painstakingly restored harmony that Nigerians witnessed last year.”
The allegations against Fubara include extra-budgetary spending, demolition of the Assembly complex, withholding funds due to the Assembly Service Commission, and alleged non-compliance with a Supreme Court directive on legislative autonomy.
In same way, the allegations against Deputy Governor Odu include reckless and unconstitutional expenditure and obstruction of the Assembly’s statutory duties.
But the Mandate Group said: “President Tinubu intervened decisively last year to resolve tensions that threatened governance in Rivers State. Governor Fubara returned to office following a reconciliatory process he signed alongside Minister Wike under the supervision of Mr President.
“To attempt to unravel that agreement now is not only irresponsible, it is a direct challenge to the authority and wisdom of the President himself.
“The Assembly is hinging their decision to impeach the Governor on the Budget of Rivers State that was passed by the National Assembly during the emergency rule. They have no such powers whatever to challenge the implementation of that budget.”
The APC Progressive Mandate Group, also, pointed out the benefits of Fubara’s defection from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC, in December 2025 and said it has already catalysed a wave of defections by prominent state leaders into the ruling party.
Those who have defected include at least five members of the House of Representatives representing Rivers constituencies.
“Governor Fubara has strengthened APC’s presence in Rivers State, building bridges with key leaders and lawmakers whose inclusion amplifies the party’s national relevance.
“These developments reflect confidence in his leadership, yet the impeachment efforts threaten to undermine the very gains the President sought to secure through dialogue and political reconciliation,” Alonge said.
The Mandate group also faulted Wike’s role and that of his loyalists in the Assembly, and suggested that the impeachment is less about governance and more about political sabotage.
“For long, the narrative has painted Governor Fubara as the source of instability. It is now evident that the effort to destabilise Rivers stems from a faction led by Minister Wike and sympathetic legislators who are intent on dismantling the peace that President Tinubu painstakingly facilitated. Their ambition is undermining state cohesion and the broader democratic order.
“Wike must also be called upon to face his duty as FCT minister or resign immediately. Wike’s current role in the latest impeachment proceedings against Fubara is an insult on the president who showed uncommon courage in appointing him as a minister, despite his membership of the PDP.
“We call on the National Assembly to uphold constitutional order and intervene decisively. The federal legislature must ensure that due process and legal propriety are respected in Rivers State. Let it be clear that the actions of a few cannot dictate the political destiny of an entire State.
“This impeachment is not corrective; it is a political misadventure. Halting the process and acknowledging the President’s role in restoring peace is essential, not just for Rivers State, but for the credibility of democratic governance in Nigeria. Those behind this disruption must understand that attempts to subvert national reconciliation will neither succeed nor be tolerated.
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