The South-South chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused Rivers State lawmakers aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, of using impeachment threats as retaliation against Governor Siminalayi Fubara over the 2026 budget.
The group alleged on Friday in Port Harcourt that the impeachment move was triggered by the governor’s refusal to accommodate what it described as “fictitious and inflated” projects in the state’s 2026 appropriation proposal.
The accusation comes amid claims by members of the Rivers State House of Assembly that Fubara violated a peace agreement brokered by President Bola Tinubu to resolve the lingering political crisis in the state.
Speaking to journalists, the APC South-South Group Coordinator, Freedom Amadi, dismissed the lawmakers’ position, insisting that the impeachment plot had nothing to do with any breach of the presidential accord.
According to Amadi, the governor’s insistence on fiscal discipline and rejection of questionable budgetary items provoked the current confrontation.
“What is happening in Rivers State is not a constitutional disagreement but a calculated response to Governor Fubara’s refusal to compromise public funds for political interests,” Amadi said.
He maintained that the peace initiative facilitated by President Tinubu was meant to stabilise governance in the state, not to coerce the governor or strip him of executive independence.
Amadi further criticised statements credited to some lawmakers suggesting that the President lacked authority to restrain the Assembly, describing such remarks as a challenge to constitutional order.
“When elected officials imply that even the President’s intervention is irrelevant, they are not exercising legislative independence; they are undermining democratic authority,” he added.
The APC South-South Group also alleged that the impeachment drive was being coordinated by lawmakers loyal to Wike, the immediate past governor of Rivers State, accusing them of attempting to retain political control through legislative pressure.
The group questioned Wike’s continued silence on the crisis, noting that his role as a minister in an APC-led federal government carries an expectation of support for presidential initiatives.
According to the group, the use of impeachment as a political weapon threatens democratic institutions and could weaken public trust in legislative processes.
“Impeachment is a serious constitutional procedure, not a tool for settling political scores,” Amadi said. “What we are seeing is retaliation against a governor who prioritised fiscal responsibility over political obedience.”
The APC South-South called on the Rivers State House of Assembly to halt all impeachment proceedings and urged the National Assembly to step in to prevent what it described as legislative excesses.
It warned that unchecked legislative actions in Rivers State could have wider implications for democratic stability across the country, stressing that the state’s resources and governance structures must not be subjected to the influence of political godfathers.
