The Rivers State House of Assembly has ruled out any political settlement in the ongoing impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Oduh, insisting the process will be carried through to its conclusion.
Speaking on Channels Television on Thursday, the Assembly’s spokesperson, Enemi George, said lawmakers were determined to follow due process and rejected suggestions that the impeachment move was a political tactic designed to intimidate the governor.
“Very sincerely, I doubt that because we’ve had one too many political solutions. It demeans and diminishes the institution of the Rivers House of Assembly if you say that everything we do is because of politics. Right now, what we’re talking about is the law,” George said.
He described Governor Fubara as a repeat offender, arguing that repeated violations made a political compromise unnecessary.
“A recidivist is somebody who commits the same crime over and over again. He’s punished or forgiven, he comes back and commits the same crime. So what’s the need for a political solution?” he asked.
George accused the governor of misconduct, including alleged mismanagement of public funds and appointing relatives to public offices without proper screening.
Addressing the controversy over the rejection of a N100,000 “Christmas gift” credited to lawmakers’ accounts on December 30, 2025, the Assembly spokesperson said the decision was based on legal and ethical grounds, not the amount involved.
“There is no constitutional provision for that. We didn’t reject it because the money is too small; we rejected it because I don’t want to go to prison,” he said.
“These funds do not belong to my father, mother, or sister. They belong to the people of Rivers State, in the nooks and crannies, who will pay for it.”
George further insisted that external political intervention would not override the Assembly’s constitutional duties, referencing earlier mediation efforts by President Bola Tinubu.
“The first time the president intervened, he was insulted and told it was a political solution that was not binding. The second time, the president went through hell to bring stakeholders together to broker peace, and then someone went back and reneged,” he said.
“You can’t keep breaking the law and expect the president to come to your rescue.”
