AfriqueCAN
The Rivers State House of Assembly has halted impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu.
The decision was made during Thursday’s sitting, shortly after the House concluded a Committee of the Whole.
The impeachment process had been delayed due to legal and political challenges, and further action was put on hold pending the outcome of ongoing court cases and consultations.
Speaker of the Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, told lawmakers at the plenary that the decision followed a high-level meeting at the Presidential Villa.
The meeting involved him, Governor Fubara, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and President Bola Tinubu.
“In furtherance of the outcome of the meeting we held with Mr President and other parties. That the governor and the deputy governor have gone ahead to withdraw the case they filed at the Rivers State High Court,” the speaker said.
According to the Speaker, part of the resolution reached at the meeting was that the governor would withdraw all court cases filed against the Assembly, while the lawmakers, in turn, would halt the impeachment process as a mark of respect for the President’s intervention.
He further disclosed that all lawsuits involving the governor, his deputy, and the Assembly had now been withdrawn.
“In response to their actions, yesterday we instructed our lawyers to also withdraw the matter we filed at the Court of Appeal, setting the way for the state to move forward. Having reported all of these, members agreed to halt the impeachment process against the governor and deputy governor,” Amaewhule said.
During plenary, the Deputy Speaker, Dumle Maol, urged members to honour the President’s efforts by formally rescinding both the impeachment notice and pending legal actions.
“It is my position that we should respect the office of the President and halt the impeachment proceedings against the governor and deputy governor,” the deputy speaker said.
The Speaker subsequently put the matter to a vote, and the House unanimously resolved to withdraw the impeachment proceedings.
Lawmakers expressed the expectation that the governor and his deputy would henceforth conduct their affairs strictly in line with constitutional provisions and avoid actions that could trigger further political conflict.
This marks the third time the Rivers Assembly has stepped back from impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara, raising fresh hopes that the latest development could signal a lasting political truce between the executive and legislative arms of government in the state.
