Ex-Tinubu Spokesman Urges APC To Suspend Rivers Lawmakers Over Impeachment Plot

A former South-East spokesman to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Josef Onoh, has called for the immediate suspension of all All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers in the Rivers State House of Assembly allegedly involved in moves to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu.

Onoh, who is also the Chairman of the Forum of Former Members of the Enugu State House of Assembly, made the call in a statement issued to journalists on Sunday in Abuja.

He described the renewed impeachment effort by the Rivers Assembly, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, as legislative rascality and a self-serving coup against constitutional order and democratic governance.

According to Onoh, the impeachment move, anchored on allegations of gross misconduct, including the non-presentation of the 2026 Appropriation Bill, failed to recognise the existence of a nationally approved budget running until August 2026 under emergency provisions.

He noted that the current action represents the third attempt to remove Governor Fubara since 2023, with the latest escalation occurring in January 2026. Onoh alleged that the lawmakers behind the move defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the APC on December 5, 2025, shortly before Fubara’s own defection to the ruling party.

“The simultaneous targeting of the governor and his deputy exposes a clear agenda to seize power through the back door,” he said, adding that personal ambition had been placed above constitutional governance and public interest.

Onoh recalled that no governor in Rivers State has been successfully impeached in the Fourth Republic, citing the failed attempts against former governor Rotimi Amaechi in 2013, which were halted by constitutional safeguards, judicial interventions and public resistance.

Drawing from his experience as a former lawmaker, he said the unfolding events mirrored failed legislative power struggles across the country.

“These attempts have always collapsed under the weight of the law and democratic institutions. Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it,” Onoh said.

Onoh warned that the persistent impeachment threat could erode public trust, destabilise Rivers State and negatively affect economic activities and security in the Niger Delta.

He insisted that the APC, as the ruling party in Rivers State, would not tolerate what he described as politically motivated plots against one of its governors.

“The APC will not fold its arms and allow any APC governor to be impeached through choreographed schemes,” he said, adding that the party would deploy all internal, legal and political mechanisms to protect Governor Fubara’s mandate.

He accused the defecting lawmakers of importing “PDP-era politics” of division and power struggles into the APC, warning that such conduct threatened the party’s unity and credibility.

Onoh, therefore, urged the national leadership of the APC to immediately suspend all Rivers lawmakers involved in or supporting the impeachment process.

“Having defied party interests and discipline, they are free to return to the PDP and continue their rascality there, without dragging the APC into disrepute,” he said.

He added that the party must activate disciplinary measures provided in its constitution to safeguard internal cohesion and democratic mandates.

“Rivers State and Nigerian democracy deserve governance focused on service and progress, not endless power struggles disguised as oversight,” Onoh said.