Two more lawmakers of the Rivers state house of assembly have appealed to their colleagues to suspend the ongoing impeachment process against Siminalayi Fubara, governor of the state, and Ngozi Odu, his deputy.
The lawmakers — Barile Nwakoh, the deputy minority leader who represents Khana constituency I, and Emilia Amadi of Obio/Akpor constituency II — made the appeal during a press conference on Wednesday in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers.
On Monday, Sylvanus Nwankwo, the house minority leader and representative of Omuma state constituency, alongside Peter Abbey of Degema state constituency, urged the parliament to suspend the impeachment proceedings against the governor.
Nwankwo asked the house to “temper justice with mercy” and explore alternatives to Fubara’s removal from office.
“We are begging, calling on our colleagues to reconsider our step and see how this matter can be resolved amicably, even though the governor and deputy governor have infringed on the constitution, but we are appealing to them to reconsider our stand,” he said.
Last Thursday, the state parliament commenced impeachment proceedings against the governor and his deputy.
The lawmakers launched the process after Major Jack, leader of the assembly, read gross misconduct charges against Fubara, signed by 26 members of the house.
Recurring rifts between the executive and the legislature, compounded by the latest impeachment moves, have further escalated political tensions in the state.
The majority of the Rivers lawmakers are loyal to Wike, who has been campaigning against Fubara’s re-election bid after accusing the governor of breaching a peace agreement they both signed before President Bola Tinubu lifted the emergency rule in Rivers.