Four Rivers Lawmakers Make U-Turn, Support Impeachment of Fubara, Deputy

By Adesina Soyooye

In an action which ridiculed their office as Lawmakers, four Members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who had earlier opted out of the impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his Deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, made an about-turn n Friday in its support.

The four who had earlier appealed to their colleagues to put a stop to the impeachment proceedings against  Fubara and Prof Odu, shamelessly reversed their stance. Meaning that within one week, they have held three different views on the impeachment.

The  four Lawmakers, Sylvanus Nwankwo, Minority Leader of the House and Representative Omuma State Constituency, Peter Abbey, the member representing Degema State Constituency, Barile Nwakoh, who represents Khana Constituency I, and EmiliaAmadiofObio/AkporConstituency II, said this in a press conference in Port Harcourt Rivers, on Friday, January 16.

Speaking during their renewed impeachment moves, Nwankwo said: “You’ll recall that on the 12th day of January, 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 the crisis between the Assembly and the governor of Rivers state.

“During the tendency of this appeal, we found out that the Governor and Deputy Governor have employed their media boys and aides to continuously attack the Rivers State House of Assembly, instead of seeking for the political solution which we offered. It is on this basis that I and my fellow colleague, Peter Abbey, is saying that the impeachment proceeding should continue, we have rescinded our plea.”

The Deputy Minority Leader, also said: “The Governor and Deputy Governor have sent signals that they are not prepared to retrace their steps and govern in line with the constitution, they are adamant. We are now convinced that their strategy is to intimidate us into withdrawing the impeachment process for the third time, while they continue their infractions on the constitution and the law. They are insisting that we will not perform our oversight functions like other states legislatures in the federation. This is very bad for our democracy. On this note we are proceeding with the impeachment process. And while we thank Mr President for his fatherly effort so far that the governor and his deputy have both disregarded.”

The charges against the Governor include the demolition of the Assembly complex, extra-budgetary spending, withholding funds meant for the Assembly Service Commission, and an alleged refusal to comply with the Supreme Court ruling on the  financial autonomy of the Legislative Arm of Government.