‘Take Over Rivers Assembly Now!’ APC Leaders, CSOs Storm Abuja, Demand NASS Intervention as Fubara Faces Impeachment Siege

By Tgnews Reporter

This Video Is Trending Right Now →

In a dramatic show of solidarity, leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), civil society organisations (CSOs), and media professionals converged on the APC National Secretariat in Abuja on Friday to protest the escalating political turmoil in Rivers State, calling on the National Assembly to immediately invoke its constitutional powers and assume control of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

The demonstrators, waving placards and chanting slogans against what they termed “legislative anarchy,” urged federal lawmakers to activate Section 11(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

This provision allows the National Assembly to take over a state’s legislative functions when the state assembly is deemed unable to perform its duties due to a breakdown in governance or loss of legitimacy.

The protest was sparked by the ongoing impeachment proceedings initiated by the Rivers State House of Assembly against Governor Siminalayi Fubara. Protesters described the move as a “reckless abuse of power” and a “vendetta” aimed at destabilising the state government, rather than legitimate oversight.

Speaking to journalists at the rally, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka, spokesperson for the APC Leaders Forum, declared: “This is no longer oversight—it’s a vendetta to destabilise governance. Silence now is complicity!”

The coalition accused 27 lawmakers, allegedly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and led by Martins Amaewhule, of orchestrating the crisis. They claimed these lawmakers had received “humongous” sums in constituency funds, luxury SUVs, and a year’s advance salary, using these perks to fuel what the protesters called a politically motivated plot.

Comrade Blessing Ibama, Coordinator of the civil society group, emphasised the lack of substantiation behind the impeachment allegations: “No shred of evidence shows gross misconduct by Governor Fubara—the allegations are pure political fiction. The assembly’s procedural lawlessness and disregard for court orders make it unfit for duty.”

The protesters hailed Rivers State Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Amadi, for rejecting the assembly’s request to constitute a seven-member probe panel to investigate the governor, describing his decision as a “bold stand for the rule of law.”

They further affirmed Governor Fubara’s prudent leadership and commitment to the welfare of Rivers people, vowing that the state “won’t be a sacrificial lamb to political desperation.”

The coalition, including convener Comrade Ifeanyi Okorie, Dr. Maryann Douglas (Director of Programmes), Mr. Collins Akpofure (Chairman, media professionals), Engr. Ibrahim Danjuma (national leader, APC Leaders Forum), and Elder Akpan Ekpeyong (National Secretary), pledged to sustain pressure until the National Assembly intervenes.

“We call on Nigerians to mobilise peacefully at the National Assembly and crush this legislative anarchy,” Ibama urged, warning that continued inaction could undermine constitutional order and democratic stability in the oil-rich state.

The Rivers political crisis has intensified in recent weeks, with court interventions—including indefinite adjournments of anti-impeachment suits—and conflicting positions from political actors.

The protest underscores deepening divisions, with APC-aligned groups rallying behind Fubara amid allegations of external interference in the state’s governance.

As tensions simmer, all eyes remain on the National Assembly and the federal government for any decisive action that could reshape the trajectory of Rivers State’s volatile political landscape.