Four out of 26 legislative members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have urged their colleagues to exercise restraint over the impeachment notice served on Siminalayi Fubara, Rivers State Governor, and Ngozi Odu, Deputy Governor, last week.
Barile Nwakoh (Khana I State Constituency) and Emilia Amadi (Obio/Akpor II State Constituency), on Wednesday, joined Sylvanus Enyinna Nwankwo, Minority Leader and member representing Omuma State Constituency and Peter Abbey, representing Degema Constituency, in asking their colleagues to discontinue the impeachment process against the governor and his deputy.
The 22 remaining members, as yet, have not indicated any intention to withdraw from the process, which Enemi Alabo George, Spokesperson of the State Assembly, said “it’s is still ongoing”.
Nwakoh and Amadi, the two women lawmakers, addressing newsmen in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, urged their colleagues to withdraw the impeachment notice served on the governor and his deputy.
The latest development came barely 24 hours after Silvanus Nwankwo and Peter Abbey backed out of the impeachment proceedings.
So far, four out of the 26 members of the Assembly that signed the impeachment notice had indicated intention to withdraw.
Nwankwo and Abbey, in a statement on Monday, urged their colleagues to de-escalate tensions and embrace dialogue and collective wisdom in handling the political situation in the state.
They agreed that Fubara and Odu had contravened sections of the Constitution, as contained in the impeachment notice, but said the need exists for the Assembly to tamper justice with mercy.
Nwankwo and Abbey said that the overriding interest of Rivers State must take precedence over partisan considerations, warning that actions capable of destabilising the polity would only undermine democratic governance and public confidence.
They stressed that wisdom, truth and justice would ultimately prevail, noting that recent developments indicate a shift in momentum around the impeachment process.
“The peace of Rivers State is paramount. This is a moment for reflection, dialogue, and statesmanship,” they said, adding that history would judge the Assembly by the choices it makes at this critical time.
Observers suggest that the Assembly might be at a crossroads following public reactions to the impeachment process it initiated against Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu.
Nwankwo and Abbey’s intervention might equally offer the Assembly a leeway out of the crisis.
