The political crisis in Rivers State deepened further after the state chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) rejected the House of Assembly’s move to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu.
The Port City News (TCPN) earlier reported that the Assembly commenced impeachment proceedings on Thursday after accusing Fubara and Odu of several acts of misconduct.
Reacting to the development, the APC, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Darlington Nwauju, described the impeachment move spearheaded by Speaker Martins Amaewhule as untenable and unfortunate. The party warned against actions capable of destabilising the state government.
“We concede that the legislature is an independent arm in the tripod of governance, and that the constitutional responsibility of checks and balances falls within its democratic purview. However, our position on this matter is that we solemnly reject the resort to an impeachment process against our governor and his deputy,” the party said.
The APC added that it could not remain silent while what it described as “the hangover from the strife within the PDP” was allowed to resurface in the party and threaten governance in the state.
The party also recalled that during the period of emergency rule, a budget was transmitted to the National Assembly by the President and Commander-in-Chief in May 2025.
It said the Senate approved the budget on 25 June 2025, while the House of Representatives gave its approval on 22 July 2025, with a total sum of ₦1.485 trillion.
Criticising the impeachment process, which it said centred on the budget, the APC noted that the budget was meant to run for one year and would remain in force until August 2026.
It added that if the governor was satisfied with the budget’s composition, he could decide not to present a supplementary budget. According to the party, the constitution allows a governor a six-month spending window into a new fiscal year.
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“We therefore strongly advise all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, especially APC members, to resist pressures from outside the Assembly chambers to destabilise the Government of Rivers State, ably led by His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara,” the statement said.
“Let it be known that our party will do everything possible to ensure that the Government of Rivers State, which is an APC government, is not destabilised through fratricidal disagreements.”
The APC called on members of the House of Assembly, particularly those elected on its platform, to immediately discontinue the impeachment process, warning that it could damage the party’s image and stall the state’s development.
“Let our state remain a democracy and not a politicocracy,” the party said, emphasising that it would do “everything possible” to protect its government in Rivers State from internal strife.
