- Governor Siminalayi Fubara has been advised to resign as the political crisis in Rivers state resurfaced
- The National Vanguard for Accountable and Transparent Democracy (NVATD) gave the advice as the Rivers state House of Assembly started the process to impeach the governor
- The group gave reasons why it asked the governor to choose the option of resigning while the impeachment proceedings are still ongoing
Port Harcourt, Rivers state – Amid the impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara, a pro democracy and accountability group has asked the Rivers state governor to honorably resign.
Governor Fubara is currently facing another row of impeachment threat. The National Vanguard for Accountable and Transparent Democracy (NVATD) said 26 out of 27 House of Assembly Members has signed the impeachment notice.
Photo credits: @DOlusegun, @SimFubaraKSC
Source: Twitter
Why Fubara is facing impeachment
We gather that Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Major Jack, while presenting the impeachment notice during the resumed plenary on Thursday, January 8, read out eight points of alleged gross misconduct against Governor Fubara.
Among others, the House accused Governor Fubara of rebuffing entreaties to present the 2026 budget, thereby undermining the powers of the legislature.
Impeachment: Fubara disrespected Tinubu – NVATD
Reacting in a statement released on Saturday, January 10, and signed by the spokesperson, Comrade Wisdom Abah, NVATD said by reneging on the peace deal previously brokered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Fubara has invited anarchy into the state.
The pro democracy and accountability group added that Fubara disrespected the president by allegedly reneging on the peace deal.
“Let it be known to the whole world that, Governor Siminalayi Fubara is solely responsible for the political unrest that is currently befalling Rivers State. It does not take him anything to go back to the drawing board and follow the peace agreement he entered in June and September 2025, for the interest of the entire people of Rivers”, the group said.
The group stressed added that the alleged refusal of Governor Fubara and his deputy to present the 2026 Appropriation Bill to the House of Assembly, his flagrant neglect of the democratically constituted State House of Assembly and his refusal to honour the peace deal supervised by President Tinubu, were the greatest unbecoming that would undo the Governor.
The statement read in part:
“The most honourable thing for the Governor to do now, is to just resign, before it is too late. Imagine he is the only Governor in Nigeria as at today, that has not presented the 2026 budget to the State Assembly. The Governor has no regard for the Lawmakers. He should be schooled that, Legislature is a critical arm of Government that performs critical roles. Lawmakers are not part of his executive.
“We saw his outing on BBC where he was boasting that there was no Assembly without him. He claimed he gave them existence and he could as well de-recognize them. He even claimed some Assembly members were feeding in his house and he paid their children school fees before he became Governor.
“Comments like these are not healthy for our democracy. The Governor should know better that, there is difference between personal relationship and governance. Even though he was close with some lawmakers before becoming Governor and they had personal ties, it would not preclude the Assembly, as a legislative arm of Government from doing its oversight functions on him and his executive.
“Refusing to present the 2026 budget to the State Assembly means he has de-recognized that institution of democracy as he rightly threatened. His refusal to grant total autonomy to the Assembly, autonomy to the Local Government and paying outstanding debts owed the Lawmakers, as agreed in the peace deal, means the Governor has not only insulted democracy, he has also disrespected the Assembly Members and above all, despised President Tinubu, before whom he made the commitments.”
Photo credits: @OlayinkaLere, @SimFubaraKSC
Source: Twitter
Lawmakers gives Tinubu condition to stop Fubara’s impeachment
Meanwhile, previous media reports indicate that the Rivers State House of Assembly gave a tough condition to President Tinubu, should he want to intervene in the political crisis and stop impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara.
Enemi George, the spokesperson of the assembly, stated that there was no going back on the move to sack the governor, adding that he has made the same errors repeatedly despite the president’s intervention.
According to George, who spoke in an interview on TVC on Thursday, January 8, the only move that can make President Tinubu stop the impeachment process is to change the constitution of the country, failing which, the governor would be cast out.