The Ijaw National Congress (INC), the socio-cultural representative body of the Ijaw-speaking people in the Niger Delta region, has called on the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to intervene and protect Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara from ongoing impeachment threats by the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The appeal was made over the weekend as political tensions escalated around the impeachment process targeting the governor and his deputy, Prof Ngozi Odu.
INC President, Prof Benjamin Okaba, emphasised that the APC bears responsibility to defend Fubara, a member of the party, against what he described as a “vendetta” rather than a legitimate constitutional process.
He warned that if the impeachment succeeds, it would be seen as “a clear betrayal of the Ijaw Nation.”
Okaba spoke to Vanguard’s correspondent at a time when the impeachment push by lawmakers in the state Assembly has drawn widespread attention and intensified political discord in Rivers State.
He criticised members of the legislature who had initially called for a political resolution to the crisis but later reversed their stance to continue with the impeachment process.
According to the INC president, the reversal by the four lawmakers who earlier advocated for dialogue indicated a lack of integrity and suggested that they were being “cajoled” to pursue the impeachment. “Some of these lawmakers in the Assembly are being cajoled to do what they are doing. It is very unfortunate,” Okaba said.
The group also described the impeachment motion as a continuation of “godfatherism taken too far,” asserting that if Governor Fubara were removed from office through the ongoing process, the INC would have to consider its next steps.
The Rivers State House of Assembly resumed impeachment proceedings earlier this month following earlier pauses, with legislators citing alleged gross misconduct as the basis for their action. The Assembly’s move has been contested within political and legal circles, drawing reactions from parties, civil society groups and stakeholders across the state.
The APC in Rivers State has also publicly rejected the impeachment process, warning that it could destabilise the party’s position and calling on members of the Assembly, particularly those within its ranks, to resist pressures that might undermine the state government.
Political observers have linked the impeachment efforts to longstanding intra-party disagreements and tensions between the governor and other political actors, contributing to a broader political standoff in the state.
The INC’s appeal signals the depth of regional and ethnic concerns surrounding the impeachment controversy, with leaders asserting that an impeachment could have implications beyond the immediate political dispute.
Efforts to secure comment from Governor Fubara’s office on the INC’s appeal were not immediately successful as of the time of publication.
