PORT HARCOURT — The Ijaw National Congress (INC) has urged the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to “take responsibility” for protecting Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara from a possible impeachment, warning that any successful removal would be interpreted as “a clear betrayal of the Ijaw nation.”
INC President Prof. Benjamin Okaba, speaking to journalists over the weekend, described the impeachment effort against Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, as politically motivated and driven by vendetta rather than substantiated misconduct. “APC has a responsibility to defend Sim Fubara,” Okaba said, adding that the plot “must not be allowed to happen.”
The intervention comes as the Rivers State House of Assembly continues to press forward with an impeachment process it says is grounded in alleged “gross misconduct.” Lawmakers recently escalated the procedure by moving to involve the judiciary, a step that has now become a central battleground.
A Rivers State High Court issued an interim injunction restraining the state’s Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Amadi, from receiving or acting on impeachment-related communications from the Assembly for the purpose of constituting an investigative panel. The order, according to reports, was granted following suits filed by the governor and deputy governor as the court moved to preserve the status quo pending further hearing.
Within the Assembly, the political temperature has been heightened by the shifting posture of four lawmakers who initially appealed for an “amicable resolution” but later rejoined colleagues in supporting continuation of the impeachment track. The lawmakers are Sylvanus Nwankwo (Omuma), Peter Abbey (Degema), Barile Nwakoh (Khana I) and Emilia Amadi (Obio/Akpor II). Their reversal has drawn sharp criticism from the INC.
Okaba described the lawmakers’ volte-face as evidence of “lack of integrity,” alleging some legislators were being “cajoled” into backing the process. He argued that the episode reflects broader risks posed by “excessive godfatherism” and warned the group would take “decisive action” if Fubara is impeached.
Meanwhile, Rivers APC voices have also entered the dispute from a different angle, urging the Chief Judge to comply with the court order restraining action on impeachment communications and cautioning that the Assembly’s approach could deepen instability in the state.
With litigation now intersecting with legislative moves and ethnic-nationality stakeholders issuing warnings, the next steps—particularly any attempt to circumvent the injunction—are likely to determine whether the standoff de-escalates or hardens into a protracted constitutional confrontation.
