The Ijaw National Congress has rejected moves to impeach Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, warning lawmakers loyal to former governor Nyesom Wike to abandon the process.
The group said the people of Rivers State were firmly opposed to the impeachment, describing the effort as ill motivated and destined to fail.
Similarly, the Rivers State Elders and Leaders Council condemned the Martin Amaewhule led House of Assembly over impeachment proceedings initiated against the governor and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu.
Both groups accused the lawmakers of pursuing personal interests under the guise of constitutional responsibility, warning that the action could further destabilise the state.
The INC described the impeachment move as an exercise in futility and criticised some lawmakers of Ijaw extraction who openly backed the process, despite Governor Fubara being an Ijaw son.
Speaking in a telephone interview on Sunday, INC President, Prof. Benjamin Okaba, said the conduct of the lawmakers amounted to a betrayal of their people.
Okaba said there was widespread opposition to the impeachment within and outside the state, insisting that the move had nothing to do with democracy or good governance.
According to him, some lawmakers who initially withdrew from the process only to return within days had demonstrated a lack of principles.
He alleged that certain lawmakers accepted public benefits while pushing the impeachment agenda, citing claims of vehicle allocations during their suspension.
Okaba further accused the Speaker of the Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, of using impeachment as a political strategy to advance personal ambition.
He advised the Speaker to seek elective office through due process rather than destabilising the political system.
The INC president stressed that the deputy governor had committed no offence warranting impeachment and warned that continued pressure could heighten political tension in Rivers State.
