Pressure mounted on Nigeria’s National Assembly on Thursday as the APC Progressive Mandate Group called for an immediate suspension of impeachment proceedings against Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, warning that the move could destabilise the state and undermine constitutional order.
In a statement signed by its coordinator, Ayodele Alonge, the group described the impeachment process initiated by the Rivers State House of Assembly as legally defective and politically driven, arguing that it violates due process and threatens fragile peace in the state.
The group said the development directly contradicts a peace accord personally brokered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which previously eased tensions between Governor Fubara, Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, and the Rivers Assembly.
“The ongoing impeachment proceedings are fundamentally flawed and lack the constitutional and procedural grounding required for such a serious action,” the statement said, adding that the move represents “an affront on the office of the President” and risks dismantling the harmony restored through presidential intervention.
Lawmakers backing the impeachment have accused Governor Fubara of several infractions, including extra-budgetary spending, the demolition of the Assembly complex, withholding funds meant for the Assembly Service Commission, and alleged non-compliance with a Supreme Court ruling on legislative autonomy. Similar allegations of reckless and unconstitutional expenditure have been levelled against Deputy Governor Odu.
The APC group rejected these claims, insisting that the Assembly lacks the authority to challenge the implementation of the Rivers State budget passed by the National Assembly during a period of emergency rule, which it said forms the basis of the impeachment push.
It also pointed to Governor Fubara’s defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress in December 2025, noting that the move had strengthened the ruling party’s influence in Rivers State and triggered defections by key political figures, including at least five members of the House of Representatives.
The group accused Minister Wike and his allies in the Assembly of driving the impeachment for political reasons, calling on the National Assembly to intervene swiftly, halt the process, and compel those involved to apologise to President Tinubu, warning that failure to act could set a dangerous precedent nationwide.
