Suspended Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara risks impeachment as APC leader Tony Okocha declares no reconciliation is underway amid political turmoil in the state
Suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, is under fresh pressure to reconcile with state lawmakers or face imminent impeachment, amid speculation that he may return to office by 12 June.
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Chief Tony Okocha, Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, has warned that the embattled governor has failed to demonstrate any commitment to peace since the outbreak of the political crisis that led to his suspension earlier this year.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, Okocha stated: “I can confirm that there is no reconciliation effort currently underway in Rivers.
The suspended Governor, Fubara, has not made any move to reconcile with the lawmakers.
Only genuine reconciliation can save him from impeachment, as the Supreme Court judgment stands.”
In March, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, following escalating tensions between Governor Fubara and members of the State House of Assembly.
The president subsequently dissolved the assembly, suspended the governor, and installed retired Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas to oversee the state for six months.
While reports have surfaced suggesting Fubara may seek refuge in the APC, Okocha dismissed any notion that defection would shield the governor from accountability.
“If Fubara decides to join the APC, it has nothing to do with the state of emergency in Rivers State.
His sins cannot be forgiven because he came to our party. It is not true,”Okocha said.
“He will enter the party through the door, not the window. There are procedures for defection. Politics is local. He must defect from his ward, and none of our ward chairmen have confirmed any such move.”
Reiterating that Fubara’s suspension was based on what he described as a “misdemeanour,” Okocha stressed that the Supreme Court had made it clear there was “no government in Rivers State,” justifying the emergency measures.
The new warning mirrors sentiments previously voiced by former Governor Nyesom Wike, who had criticised Fubara for failing to engage in meaningful dialogue with the legislature.
Although Wike expressed reservations about the emergency declaration, he confirmed that he initially supported the governor’s impeachment.
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As political tensions deepen, the question remains whether Fubara will take the necessary steps to avert a full constitutional showdown or whether Rivers State is heading for further political uncertainty.