Politics
Impeachment: Fubara, Rivers lawmakers in showdown As Wike Insists Gov must go
This was after four lawmakers who had initially withdrawn from the impeachment decision said they now supported it.
Between Monday and Wednesday, the four lawmakers, Sylvanus Nwankwo (Omuma), Peter Abbey (Degema), Barile Nwakoh (Khana I) and Emilia Amadi (Obio/Akpor II), while withdrawing from the process, cited a desire for dialogue and political reconciliation.
However, they reversed their decision during a live plenary session on Friday, citing continued hostility from the governor and his deputy and repeated disregard for calls for dialogue.
The Assembly thereafter voted unanimously to continue with the impeachment.
Speaker Martin Amaewhule said the resolution was in line with Section 188(5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“Those in favour that the investigation should proceed are 25 in number, against nil, abstention nil. By this vote, the Rivers State House of Assembly has resolved that investigations into allegations of gross misconduct against His Excellency, Siminalayi Fubara, Governor of Rivers State, should proceed to the next level. I will forward a letter to the Chief Judge to immediately set up a seven-man panel to begin investigations,” he said.
The Assembly adjourned until Tuesday, January 27, for its next sitting.
Why we want Fubara removed – Lawmakers
Before the plenary, the Deputy Speaker, Dumle Maol, accused Fubara and the Deputy Governor, Ngozi Odu, of intimidating and blackmailing lawmakers, saying the governor had infringed on the Constitution.
“Previous attempts at resolving the political quagmire failed because the governor does not abide by agreements and cannot be trusted. It is obvious that the only solution now is impeachment,” he said.
Maol alleged that the governor used the EFCC and media platforms to intimidate lawmakers while refusing to respond to the allegations.
He thanked President Tinubu for attempting to mediate.
Also, the member representing Akuku-Toru Constituency II, Looloo Opuende, alleged that while stakeholders and some lawmakers were making efforts to find a political solution to the crisis, the governor was working behind the scenes to induce their constituents to initiate their recall from the House.
“While the impeachment process was ongoing, the governor was busy paying our constituents to recall us from the Assembly. Is that the right thing to do?” he asked.
Opuende said if the governor genuinely desired peace, he should have engaged the leadership of the Assembly to agree on a way forward.
“Impeachment is a constitutional matter. I support and urge the Speaker to reconstitute the House so that the process can continue,” the lawmaker added.
He further said those calling for the impeachment process to be stalled should first interrogate the root cause of the rift between the executive and legislative arms of government in the state.
Reacting, the Special Assistant to Fubara on Political Matters, Darlington Orji, described the lawmakers as people who were acting a drama script.
Orji described the crisis as a battle for the soul of the state.
He said, “Everybody knows that they are acting a script; those guys are not acting on their own volition. They cannot say that they have retraced their footsteps; that they have realised that the interest of Rivers people should come first and that they got calls from both within and outside Rivers State for peaceful resolution, only for them to come and give flimsy excuses that people are abusing them on social media and changed their minds. What kind of drama is that?
“For us, the governor of Rivers State is determined to provide quality leadership. What is happening in Rivers State is a fight for the soul of the state. It is a supremacy battle where a man thinks that he made him the governor, and he can pull him out any day. That is where we are, but by the grace of God we are going to overcome it.”
Court halts impeachment proceedings
Meanwhile, a Rivers State High Court sitting in Oyigbo, Port Harcourt, issued an interim injunction restraining the Speaker, the Clerk of the House and two others from sending any correspondence to the Chief Judge.
The court also barred the Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Amadi, from receiving, forwarding or acting on any request or document aimed at constituting a panel to investigate the alleged misconduct against Fubara and his deputy for seven days.
The presiding judge, Justice F.A. Fiberesima, granted leave for the claimants to serve the interim order and originating processes at the gate of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The case was adjourned to January 23 for hearing.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
Ahead of the 2027 National Assembly elections, a mass protest voting movement may be building up in Anambra South Senatorial District, following reported moves by members of major political parties to support the candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Chief Ebuka Onunkwo.
The development is said to be linked to grievances among some members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), All Progressives Congress (APC), African Democratic Congress (ADC) and remnants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the treatment allegedly meted out to Onunkwo during previous political contests.
Onunkwo, who had previously contested the Anambra South senatorial seat under APGA, later emerged as the NDC candidate for the 2027 election.
Although the ADC is currently embroiled in legal disputes over the authentic candidates and the conduct of its primary elections, some members of the APC and APGA are also reportedly dissatisfied with developments within their respective parties.
It was gathered that a section of APGA members, in particular, are backing Onunkwo as a form of protest over the conduct of the party’s senatorial primary, while some members of other parties are also believed to be considering voting for him irrespective of their party affiliations.
Confirming the growing support for Onunkwo, the Chief Executive Officer of NOWAS Oil and Gas Limited and a major stakeholder in Anambra South politics, Chief Ignesus Ikechukwudere Nnubia, said the NDC candidate currently enjoys widespread acceptability across party lines.
Nnubia said the growing support for Onunkwo had made his party affiliation less significant, arguing that voters would ultimately vote according to their conscience and assessment of the candidates.
He said, “At the moment, the number of APGA members with him and supporting him makes one wonder what is left of that party. Even the remnants of the PDP have pitched their tents with him, while members of the ruling APC at the national level are also behind him.
“So, the party that he belongs to is not a factor at all. You know that it is a game of numbers, and people are going to vote according to their conscience and not necessarily because of the political party they belong to.
“People are not bound to vote for their party, and some of them are ready and willing to vote for him.
“We are not talking about the party because he will surely get votes from the NDC, APGA, APC and even other political parties that are already closing ranks to support him as their candidate.”
Nnubia further described Onunkwo as the candidate currently standing tall among the contenders for the Anambra South senatorial seat, expressing confidence that his emergence would usher in what he described as a “new dawn” for the district.
He said political parties should not be the major consideration for voters, stressing that what matters most is the ability of elected representatives to improve the lives of their constituents.
According to him, political parties exist because of the people, and therefore the influence of party structures and incumbency has its limits during elections.
Nnubia said those factors would ultimately be tested by the electorate in the 2027 election, which he described as a contest in which voters’ choices would determine the outcome.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2027 Ebonyi State election, Chief Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, has pledged to attract more than ₦2 trillion in private-sector investment to the state within six months of assuming office if elected.
Odii made the pledge while addressing supporters in Lagos ahead of the formal commencement of his campaign.
He said his investment strategy would cover key sectors of the Ebonyi economy, including mining, hospitality, real estate and manufacturing.
According to the PDP candidate, he has identified more than 2,000 prospective investors, each capable of investing about ₦1 billion in the state.
“I have over 2,000 people who can invest ₦1 billion each. When you multiply it, you will get over ₦2 trillion. This has been structured in such a way that all aspects of the economy will be involved,” Odii said.
He said the proposed investment drive was designed not only to inject capital into the state but also to create jobs, expand the productive base of the economy and provide opportunities for young people and entrepreneurs.
Odii said Ebonyi’s natural resources and strategic location placed it in a strong position to attract large-scale investments if its economic potential was properly harnessed.
He promised that his administration would prioritise private-sector participation, industrialisation and job creation while creating an enabling environment for both local and foreign investors.
The candidate also said existing businesses in the state would be supported to expand, while new investors would be encouraged to establish operations across various sectors.
His pledge comes amid growing political activities ahead of the 2027 governorship election, with economic development, employment generation and wealth creation featuring prominently in his campaign message.
The proposed ₦2 trillion investment target within six months, if achieved, would represent a significant boost to Ebonyi’s economy and rank among the most ambitious private-sector investment mobilisation plans proposed in the state.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
The planned visit of the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, to Anambra State has sparked controversy following a protest by the state Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Emma Anosike, that the party was not informed about the visit.
Anosike said the APC in Anambra was never consulted or briefed about the proposed visit, adding that the party was taken aback by reports that the wife of the party’s national leader and presidential candidate, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, would be visiting the state without recourse to the state chapter.
He said, “It is indeed strange that the First Lady of our presidential candidate is visiting Anambra State without recourse to the party in the state.
“The party wishes to state categorically that we are not part of the arrangements for the reception of our First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, because the party was never put in the picture.”
Anosike also dismissed the mantra that “The Progressives Are Working Together”, being canvassed by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), describing it as a smokescreen by the ruling party in Anambra to hijack President Tinubu’s re-election from the APC.
He said, “For instance, the APGA-led government in Anambra State did not interface with us on the organisation of the visit, and the party wonders if the progressives are indeed working together.”
The APC chairman, however, said the development would not compromise the First Lady’s visit, urging all APC members and supporters in the state to turn out and give Senator Oluremi Tinubu a warm welcome.
He stressed that despite the party’s reservations over the arrangements, APC members remained committed to welcoming the First Lady to Anambra State.
Former Deputy Governor of Bauchi State, Sagir Saleh, has resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Saleh, who served as deputy governor under former Governor Isa Yuguda, announced his resignation in a letter submitted to the party leadership in Katagum Local Government Area.
He cited personal reasons for his decision but did not provide further details.
His exit comes amid growing disagreements within the Bauchi APC following the party’s 2027 governorship primary. Other prominent members, including former governorship aspirant Bala Jibrin and Sunusi Kunde, an associate of Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, have also reportedly left the party.
Jibrin, a former National Auditor of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), resigned on August 31, 2026, following his opposition to the emergence of former Bauchi Governor Muhammad Abubakar as the APC’s 2027 governorship candidate.
He had criticised the primary process and questioned how the candidate emerged.
Kunde also resigned from the APC in August, submitting his resignation to the party chairman of Beti Ward in Misau Local Government Area.
The latest departures are coming as efforts continue to resolve internal disputes and disagreements among APC members in the state.
The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has raised the alarm over an alleged plot to assassinate former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 general election.
Ayodele issued the warning in a video shared on his verified X account on Sunday, urging both opposition figures to strengthen their security and remain vigilant.
The cleric did not identify those allegedly behind the purported plot but claimed that attempts were being made to eliminate Obi and Atiku.
According to him, divine intervention would prevent the alleged plan from succeeding.
“Obi and Atiku, be very conscious of your security. They are looking for any means to eliminate Obi and Atiku.
“But God will never allow it to happen. Watch out and be cautious about your security,” he said.
Ayodele also urged President Bola Tinubu to reconsider travelling to the United States, alleging that there were forces in America working against his political fortunes.
The claims come as political activities and realignments intensify ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
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