A FACTION of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, led by Emeka Beke, has rejected the impeachment proceedings commenced by the Rivers State House of Assembly against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, warning that the move could further harm the state’s fragile political environment.
In a statement signed by the party’s spokesperson, Darlington Nwauju, on Thursday, December 8, the faction said it was alarmed by the development in the Assembly and described the resort to impeachment as untenable.
The group urged lawmakers, particularly APC members in the Assembly, to resist what it described as external pressures aimed at undermining the state government
It added that the party would take steps to prevent internal disagreements from disrupting governance in Rivers State.
“It will be totally untenable for our party to keep quiet when an obvious hangover from strifes that occurred within the PDP are allowed to resurface in our great party.
“It is important to say to Rivers people and Nigerians that since the latest threat of impeachment centers on the budget, may we remind ourselves that under the period of emergency rule, a budget was transmitted to the National Assembly by the President and Commander-in-Chief in May 2025 which was approved by the Senate on 25 June 2025 and subsequently by the House of Representatives on July 22 2025 for a total sum of ₦1.485 trillion.
“Interestingly, this budget is for one year and should run until August 2026, and if the governor is comfortable with the composition of the said budget, he may elect not to present any supplementary budget. Besides, the constitution allows for a six-month spending window into the new fiscal year by a state governor,” the statement read.
The faction’s position came against the backdrop of impeachment proceedings initiated when the Rivers State House of Assembly, during plenary presided over by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, received a notice of allegations and gross misconduct against Fubara.
The notice, presented by the Majority Leader, Major Jack, cited Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and listed seven allegations against the governor, including the demolition of the Assembly complex, alleged extra-budgetary spending, and withholding of funds meant for the Assembly Service Commission.
According to reports, 26 lawmakers signed the notice, with the speaker directing that it be served on the governor within seven days, in line with constitutional provisions.
In a related development, the Deputy Leader of the House, Linda Stewart, also presented a separate notice of gross misconduct against Deputy Governor Odu.
The lawmakers accused her of reckless and unconstitutional spending, obstructing the Assembly’s constitutional duties, and facilitating the occupation of government offices by individuals who had not undergone legislative screening.
The impeachment move followed renewed political tensions in the state, days after the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, accused Fubara of failing to honour a peace agreement brokered by President Bola Tinubu during a closed-door meeting at the Presidential Villa in June 2025.
Speaking during a visit to Tai Local Government Area on December 31, 2025, Wike said the details of the agreement would ‘soon’ be made public and warned that his supporters were prepared to confront the governor politically if the alleged breach continued.
The developments also coincided with Wike’s physical presence in Rivers State amid renewed mobilisation by his supporters, and weeks after Fubara defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M