Leaders of the All Progressives Congress have called on the National Assembly to assume the legislative functions of the Rivers State House of Assembly, citing what they described as a worsening constitutional crisis in the state.
The call followed renewed attempts by the Rivers Assembly to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu, which APC leaders said were politically motivated and amounted to an abuse of legislative powers.
The crisis deepened last Friday when the Assembly wrote to the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Amadi, requesting the constitution of a seven-member panel to investigate allegations of gross misconduct against the governor and his deputy.
However, the Chief Judge declined the request on Thursday, citing subsisting court orders restraining him from taking further action.
Despite the development, the Speaker of the House, Martin Amaewhule, maintained that the impeachment process should continue, describing it as the only path to resolving the political impasse in the state.
Reacting, the APC Leaders Forum said the House had lost public trust and credibility, accusing it of repeatedly abusing its constitutional mandate.
In a statement jointly signed by the forum’s National Leader, Ibrahim Danjuma, National Secretary, Akpan Ekpeyong, alongside civil society leaders Ifeanyi Okorie, Maryann Douglas, and Collins Akpofure, the group warned that democracy in Rivers State was under serious threat.
The forum described the allegations against Governor Fubara as unsubstantiated, insisting that the impeachment move lacked both legal and factual basis.
It urged the national leadership of the APC and the National Assembly to intervene to safeguard democratic governance in the state.
The group also accused 27 lawmakers allegedly loyal to former governor Nyesom Wike of diverting state resources for personal and political interests.
It further called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene decisively, arguing that extraordinary measures were necessary to prevent a breakdown of constitutional order.
Meanwhile, the High Court of the Oyigbo Division in Port Harcourt adjourned indefinitely the suit filed by Governor Fubara and his deputy challenging the impeachment process.
The presiding judge, Justice Fiberesima, adjourned the matter sine die following confirmation that two separate appeals had been filed before the Court of Appeal.
In a related development, the Rivers State chapter of the APC, led by Chief Emeka Beke, commended the presidency for recognising Governor Fubara as the leader of the party in the state.
The party’s Publicity Secretary, Dalington Nwauju, said President Tinubu’s position aligned with the party’s national convention, which recognises sitting governors as state party leaders.
The Rivers APC also called on Governor Fubara to convene an urgent stakeholders’ meeting to address lingering internal divisions.
The party reiterated its demand for the resignation of the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, over comments on the impeachment process and urged the National Working Committee to conduct fresh congresses at ward, local government, and state levels.
The APC in Rivers State is currently divided into two factions, led by Emeka Beke and Tony Okocha, respectively.
