Rivers Impeachment Saga: 2 Lawmakers Backtrack, Amid Judicial Huddles

There appears to have emerged a division among the twenty-seven lawmakers in the Rivers State House of Assembly in the ongoing move to impeach Governor SIMINALAYI FUBARA and his Deputy, Professor NGOZI NMA-ORDU. This is because two of the state lawmakers, in persons of SYLVANUS ENYINNA NWANKWO of Omuma State Constituency and PETER ABBE of Degema State Constituency have announced the withdrawal of their support for the impeachment process. Instead, both NWANKWO and ABBE said although Governor FUBARA had violated the provisions of the constitution, they believe that the matter can be resolved through other means than impeachment. Meanwhile; there are indications that the Rivers State House of Assembly may be facing a legal huddle getting the State Chief Judge, Justice SIMEON CHIBUZOR-AMADI, to constitute a panel to investigate impeachment allegations against Governor SIMINALAYI FUBARA and his Deputy, Professor NGOZI NMA-ORDU. This is due to a subsisting court order issued on July 8, 2024 by the Rivers State High Court, presided over by Justice STEPHENS JUMBO in a suit against the Speaker of the House of Assembly, MARTINS CHIKE-AMAEWHULE and thirty-two others. That order restrained the State Chief Judge from receiving or acting on resolutions, articles of impeachment, amongst others, from the MARTINS AMAEWHULE-led House of Assembly, pending the determination of the Motion on Notice for interlocutory injunction. Sources within the Rivers State Judiciary revealed that the said order was extended by the High Court on July 15, 2024 pending determination and that the appeal filed the MARTINS AMAEWHULE-led Assembly and the Rivers State Chapter of the Peoples' Democratic Party is still pending.