. ‘Gov yet to get notice from lawmakers’
Members of the
Rivers State House of Assembly have differed on the planned impeachment of Governor, Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Prof Ngozi Odu.
Three days after 27 lawmakers commenced impeachment proceedings against both Fubara and Odu, it was learnt, the Governor and his deputy have yet to receive any formal notice from the State House of Assembly.
Last Thursday, the 27 Assembly members loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, initiated impeachment proceedings against the Governor and his deputy over alleged misconduct.
Speaker Martin Amaewhule had vowed to ensure that the impeachment notice was delivered to Governor Fubara, but as of Monday evening, no such communication had been received from the Assembly by the Rivers State Government House, according to a reliable source.
It was gathered that Fubara returned to the country on Sunday after a speculated trip to Paris, France, reportedly to see President Bola Tinubu over the renewed political crisis in Rivers, and has since been busy inspecting projects in different parts of the state.
However, on Monday, two of the pro-Wike lawmakers withdrew from the impeachment plot against Governor Fubara.
The two lawmakers also urged their colleagues to suspend the impeachment proceedings against Fubara and Odu.
They made the appeal at a press conference in Port Harcourt, the state capital, stressing that alternative means should be sought to resolve the political crisis.
Minority Leader of the House representing Omuma State Constituency, Sylvanus Nwankwo, urged his colleagues to be cautious and seek other options rather than the impeachment plot.
“We have called this press conference to appeal to our colleagues to temper justice with mercy and to see how we can resolve this matter apart from impeachment proceedings,” he said.
The Majority leader explained that his new stance followed appeals from elders and leaders within and outside the state urging the lawmakers to be lenient.
He added, “That is why we are here this morning to appeal to the conscience of our fellow colleagues. Having listened to so many pleas, calls from our elders and leaders, both within and outside the state, begging for leniency.
“We are begging, calling on our colleagues to reconsider our step and see how this matter can be resolved amicably, even though the governor and deputy governor have infringed on the constitution, but we are appealing to them to reconsider our stand.”
Backing the majority leader, the member representing Degema State Constituency, Peter Abbey, urged their colleagues to be cautious, stressing the need for a humane approach to the situation.
“Fubara has infringed on parts of the constitution, but we are human beings, and we, as members of the 10th assembly, want to plead with our colleagues to please reconsider,” he said.
Abbey added that Fubara also has a responsibility to help de-escalate the tension by avoiding further constitutional violations.
“The governor, too, has a role to play; he must ensure he does not infringe further on the constitution. That will bring an amicable settlement to the whole thing,” he said.
This development is coming a day after the FCT Minister, Wike, concluded his ‘thank you tour’ of local government areas of Rivers State on Sunday.
