By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu
Rivers Lawmakers Move Against Governor Fubara as Impeachment Process Begins
The political crisis in Rivers State took a dramatic turn on Thursday as the State House of Assembly formally launched impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu.
At a plenary session broadcast live on Channels Television, lawmakers presented a notice of allegations accusing the governor of gross misconduct and violations of the Nigerian Constitution. The sitting was presided over by Speaker Martins Amaewhule.
The Majority Leader of the House, Major Jack, laid the impeachment notice before the chamber, revealing that 26 lawmakers had endorsed the motion. Shortly after, the Deputy Majority Leader, Linda Stewart, read a similar notice against the deputy governor.
Speaker Amaewhule announced that the notices would be served on both officials within seven days, in line with constitutional provisions, stressing that the impeachment process had now officially commenced.
He warned that any attempt by Governor Fubara to submit the 2026 budget or the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework while investigations were ongoing would not halt the proceedings.
According to the Speaker, the allegations centre largely on the governor’s continued failure to present an appropriation bill and claims of spending outside the limits of the law.
“The particulars of gross misconduct are mainly about refusal to present a budget and spending without proper legislative approval,” Amaewhule said.
He added that if the governor had intended to submit a budget, he would have done so earlier.
“In the whole of Nigeria, Governor Fubara and his deputy are the only ones yet to present the 2026 appropriation bill. Rivers State has never had it this bad,” the Speaker declared.
The impeachment move comes amid heightened political tension in the state following Governor Fubara’s recent defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Days earlier, APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, had announced Fubara as the recognised leader of the party in Rivers State.
The development has further deepened divisions within the state’s political landscape, where rival camps continue to battle for control and influence.
As the impeachment process unfolds, attention is now focused on the next steps by the lawmakers and the response of the governor and his deputy in what is shaping up to be one of the most intense political confrontations in Rivers State in recent years.
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