The long-simmering political warfare in Rivers State reached a boiling point on Thursday, as the House of Assembly initiated impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu.
The move marks a dramatic escalation in the crisis, with lawmakers accusing the state’s top two executives of “gross misconduct”—a constitutional charge that could lead to their removal from office.
During a plenary session presided over by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, the Majority Leader, Major Jack, presented a notice of allegations.
Invoking Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution, the House outlined seven counts of alleged gross misconduct against the governor.
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The core allegations include the controversial 2023 demolition of the Assembly complex, and alleged extra-budgetary spending and unauthorised withdrawals from the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
Others are alleged refusal to comply with a Supreme Court ruling regarding the financial autonomy of the legislature and the reported withholding of statutory funds meant for the Assembly Service Commission.
26 lawmakers had appended their signatures to the notice. Amaewhule confirmed that the legal document would be served to the governor within the next seven days.
The impeachment net also extended to Odu. Allegations against her, read by Deputy Leader Linda Stewart, mirror many of the charges faced by the governor but add specific claims of administrative sabotage.
The allegations against Odu include claims of actively preventing the House from performing its oversight duties and allegedly conspiring to allow unauthorised individuals to occupy government offices without the required legislative screening.
Others are seeking financial approvals from unauthorised groups rather than the legitimate House of Assembly, and are alleged to be involved in the seizure of salaries and allowances due to Assembly staff and lawmakers.
This is not the first time the pro-Wike legislative faction has attempted to uproot the governor.
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A similar move was initiated in March 2025 but was stalled by a subsequent “state of emergency” saga that temporarily paralysed political activities in the state.
The current move signals a breakdown of the fragile peace that had been tenuously held since late 2025.
