A coalition of respected community leaders in Rivers State has urged state lawmakers to abandon impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara, warning that such actions could destabilize the fragile political climate in the oil-rich region.
The Rivers State Elders and Leaders Forum issued the appeal following Thursday’s impeachment notice served by 27 members of the Martin Amaewhule-led House of Assembly against both Governor Fubara and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu. The lawmakers cited alleged misconduct and abuse of office, giving the governor seven days to respond to the accusations.
In a statement released Friday night in Port Harcourt, the forum’s acting Chairman, Dr. Gabriel Toby, criticized the impeachment effort as constitutionally questionable and lacking substantive grounds.
Dr. Toby, a former deputy governor, expressed disappointment that political tensions have resurfaced just months after Rivers State emerged from a six-month period of emergency rule that suspended democratic governance.
“The Rivers Elders and Leadership Forum expresses deep concern and unequivocal condemnation of the recent impeachment notice,” the statement read. “Impeachment is a serious constitutional process, not a tool for political vendettas or factional struggles.”
The forum characterized the reasons supporting the impeachment as “disturbingly weak,” suggesting they reflect “narrow personal interests rather than genuine concern for good governance.”
Emphasizing that Governor Fubara’s mandate came directly from Rivers State voters, the elders stressed that any challenge to his authority must comply strictly with constitutional provisions and be based on “clear, compelling, and verifiable grounds.”
The statement warned that pursuing impeachment could deepen political divisions, erode public confidence in democratic institutions, and further destabilize a polity still recovering from recent upheaval.
“Rivers State has not fully recovered from the political, social, and institutional disruptions of the recent period of emergency rule,” the forum noted. “Our people continue to bear the consequences of that episode, and this development risks reopening old wounds and heightening tensions at a time when stability and focused governance are urgently needed.”
The elders called on the House of Assembly to “immediately retrace its steps and place the collective interest, peace, and progress of Rivers State above all partisan or personal considerations.”
The forum concluded by reaffirming its commitment to “peace, unity, justice, and constitutional democracy,” pledging not to remain silent in the face of threats to the state’s stability and future.
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