In a major blow to the ongoing attempt to remove the Rivers State Governor, two more prominent members of the State House of Assembly have officially withdrawn their support for the impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu.
The lawmakers, Barile Nwakoh representing Khana Constituency I and Emilia Amadi of Obio/Akpor Constituency II, announced their decision to distance themselves from what has been described as an “illegal impeachment plot.”
This development follows a similar move by the House Minority Leader, Sylvanus Nwankwo, and Peter Abbey (Degema Constituency), who backed out of the process just 24 hours earlier.
The legislative duo emphasized that their change of heart was a response to the “authority above” which intervened to stop the planned illegality.
Reports suggest the impeachment move was a project orchestrated and authorized by their “paymaster,” the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, whose long-standing friction with Fubara has fueled months of political instability in the state.
Nwakoh and Amadi noted that while they initially raised concerns over alleged constitutional breaches by the executive, the need for peace and the preservation of democratic institutions in Rivers State must take precedence.
Their exit is widely seen as a signal that the scheme to oust the Governor is rapidly collapsing from within.
With four lawmakers now openly defecting from the original group of 26 who signed the notice of misconduct, the momentum of the pro-Wike camp appears to be waning.
Recall, the Minority Leader, Sylvanus Nwankwo, led the first wave of withdrawals, urging his colleagues to “sheathe their swords” and seek an amicable resolution to the crisis rather than pursuing a path that threatens the stability of the state.