Fresh facts have emerged on why members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, including four lawmakers who earlier called for a political solution to the crisis, suddenly withdrew their appeal and aligned with the impeachment process against Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
According to Sunday Vanguard, the lawmakers are seeking firm assurances from the governor that they would be granted return tickets to contest the 2027 general elections.
A key political actor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, dismissed the allegations of gross misconduct against the governor, describing the impeachment move as a bargaining tool.
The source said, “There is nothing like a gross misconduct against the governor.
“What these people (lawmakers) want is the assurance that they will return to the Assembly next year. With this attitude of theirs to the governor, they are not sure of coming back. That is the assurance they want. That is the agreement they are talking about.”
The source traced the crisis’s origins to Governor Fubara’s reported defection to the All Progressives Congress late last year.
The source further stated, “If you can recall, this whole problem started when Governor Fubara defected to the APC last December.
“They knew that the governor would have his automatic ticket in APC, and if they didn’t get that assurance, then they would be dead politically.”
The source further alleged that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, was also seeking guarantees regarding his own political future.
The source claimed, “Wike also wants the same commitment from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He wants to return as a minister.
“If Fubara wins a second term and Wike loses his appointment, he would be dead politically. The minister said so himself.”
According to the source, the impeachment process may not go beyond its current stage, but it is being deployed as leverage.
“That is why he is using the Assembly to press home his demand from the President,” the source said.
He added that the minister’s influence at the federal level may have waned.
The source added, “The impeachment may not see the light of day beyond the level it has reached. The minister no longer has direct access to the President. He can only use the Assembly to bargain for his political future.”