Rivers Elders, MOSOP Reject Impeachment Notice Against Fubara

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) and the Rivers Elders and Leadership Forum have strongly condemned the recent impeachment notice served on Governor Sir Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Nma Odu, by the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, warning that the action risks further destabilising the state.

In a statement he issued in Port Harcourt at the weekend, the President of MOSOP, Fegalo Nsuke, said the impeachment proceedings could pose a serious threat to the peaceful resumption of oil exploration in Ogoni.

MOSOP noted that the federal government may lose the opportunity to rake in over $30 million per day in revenue from the proceeds of 500,000 barrels of oil produced in the area if the current political escalation by lawmakers is not put in check.

Mosop said that it was most unfortunate that just at the verge of the federal government’s breakthrough for a smooth resumption of exploration, the state House of Assembly resorted to fanning the embers of political crisis.

“If the federal taps 500,000 barrels of oil in a day from Ogoni, we are talking about more than $30 million per day in revenue. But with a crisis like this, who would want to put their money into that kind of environment? The lawmakers should have a rethink,” Mosop queried.

He described the move by state lawmakers to impeach Governor Fubara as a direct assault on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s mediation efforts in the state’s political crisis.

MOSOP said the sudden attempt to impeach the governor calls into question the assembly’s loyalty to the President, given that the President has been personally involved in resolving the Rivers State crisis.

On their part, the Rivers Elders and Leadership Forum, in a press statement signed by its chairman and former deputy governor of the state, Dr GTG Toby, described the impeachment process as a “serious constitutional process” that should not be wielded as a weapon for “political vendettas or factional struggles.”

They criticized the grounds for the notice as “disturbingly weak, lacking substance, public interest justification, or constitutional weight,” suggesting the move is motivated by “narrow personal interests” rather than a commitment to good governance.

The forum emphasized that Governor Fubara’s mandate was “freely given by the people of Rivers State” and can only be challenged through strict adherence to constitutional provisions, due process, and “clear, compelling, and verifiable grounds.”

Highlighting the potential fallout, the elders cautioned that pursuing the impeachment could deepen political divisions, erode public trust in democratic institutions, and exacerbate instability in a state still recovering from recent disruptions under emergency rule.

“Our people continue to bear the consequences of that episode, and this development, so early in the year, risks reopening old wounds and heightening tensions at a time when stability and focused governance are urgently needed,” the statement added.

The forum urged the Rivers State House of Assembly to “immediately retrace its steps” and prioritize the “collective interest, peace, and progress of Rivers State” over partisan or personal agenda.