The spokesperson for the Rivers State House of Assembly, Enemi George, has said lawmakers will see the impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Oduh, to the end, dismissing suggestions for a political solution.
Speaking in an interview with Channels Television on Thursday, George dismissed suggestions that the impeachment was a political move designed to pressure the governor.
“Very sincerely, I doubt that because we’ve had one too many political solutions… It demeans, diminishes the institution of the Rivers House of Assembly if you say that everything that we do is because of politics… Right now, what we’re talking about is the law.”
On allegations of repeated misconduct by the governor, George described Fubara as a recidivist, explaining: “A recidivist is somebody who commits the same crime over and over again. He’s punished or forgiven, he comes back, he commits the same crime.
“So what’s the need for a political solution?”
He cited instances where the governor allegedly mismanaged public funds, including appointing relatives to positions without proper screening.
George also addressed recent controversies over public funds, including the December 30th, 2025, rejection of a N100,000 “Christmas gift” credited to lawmakers’ accounts on the orders of the governor.
“Within that principle, there is no constitutional provision for that. We didn’t reject it because the money is too small, we rejected it because I don’t want to go to prison.
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“These funds do not belong to my father, mother, or sister; they belong to the people of Rivers State, in the nooks and crannies, who will pay for it.”
He further argued that intervention from party leaders would not override the Assembly’s legal mandate.
“The first time the president intervened, he was insulted. They said it was a political solution that was not binding. The second time, the president went through hell to assemble stakeholders, to broker this peace, and then somebody goes back and reneges.
“You can’t keep breaking the law and expecting the president to come to your rescue,” George said, referring to previous efforts by President Bola Tinubu to mediate between the governor and lawmakers.
PUNCH Online reported that the Rivers State House of Assembly had begun impeachment proceedings against Fubara and Oduh.
During a plenary session presided over by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, Majority Leader Major Jack read out a notice of allegations of gross misconduct signed by 26 lawmakers, citing breaches of the Nigerian Constitution.
Amaewhule said the notice would be formally served to the governor within seven days. This is the second attempt by the Assembly to remove Fubara and his deputy, following a similar attempt in March 2025.
At that time, tensions in the state prompted intervention by President Tinubu, who brokered a reconciliation between Fubara, the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, and the lawmakers, allowing the governor to return after six months.
Punch
