By Seyi Odewale
The Rivers State House of Assembly on Thursday commenced impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, accusing them of gross misconduct and multiple financial violations.
The move, coming amid lingering political tensions in the oil-rich state, was swiftly rejected by the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which warned that the impeachment process could destabilise the state and damage the party’s image.
During plenary presided over by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, the Majority Leader of the House, Major Jack, formally read a notice of allegations against the governor, relying on Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
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Jack outlined seven allegations of gross misconduct against Fubara, including the demolition of the Rivers State House of Assembly complex, extra-budgetary spending, withholding funds intended for the Assembly Service Commission, and the alleged refusal to comply with a Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to the legislature.
Twenty-six lawmakers signed the notice.
Amaewhule said the allegations would be transmitted to the governor within seven days, in line with constitutional provisions.
“I will ensure that this letter is forwarded to His Excellency, Siminalayi Fubara, Governor of Rivers State, within seven days,” the Speaker said.
Shortly after, the Deputy Leader of the House, Linda Stewart, presented a separate notice of gross misconduct against Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu.
The allegations against Odu include reckless and unconstitutional spending of public funds, obstruction of the House from performing its constitutional duties, conniving to allow unauthorised persons to occupy government offices without legislative screening, and seeking budgetary approvals outside the recognised Assembly.
Other accusations border on the alleged seizure of salaries and allowances due to the House of Assembly and the Assembly Service Commission.
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Reacting, the Rivers State APC rejected the impeachment process, describing it as unnecessary and potentially destabilising.
In a statement signed by the party’s spokesperson, Darlington Nwauju, the APC said it recognised the constitutional independence of the legislature but would not support impeachment proceedings against an APC-led government.
“Our position as of today on this matter is that we solemnly reject the resort to an impeachment process against our Governor and his deputy,” the statement said.
The party cautioned lawmakers, especially APC members in the Assembly, against yielding to pressures that could plunge the state into renewed political turmoil.
“It will be totally untenable for our party to keep quiet when an obvious hangover from strifes that occurred within the PDP is allowed to resurface in our great party,” Nwauju stated.
Addressing claims that the impeachment threat was linked to budgetary issues, the APC recalled that during the period of emergency rule, a ₦1.485 trillion budget was transmitted to the National Assembly in May 2025 and duly approved by both chambers.
According to the party, the budget is expected to run until August 2026, adding that the governor is constitutionally permitted to operate within a six-month spending window into a new fiscal year without presenting a supplementary budget.
“Let it be known that our party will do everything possible to ensure that the Government of Rivers State, which is an APC government, is not destabilised through fratricidal disagreements,” the statement added.
The APC warned that persisting with the impeachment process could harm the party’s standing and stall development in Rivers State, urging the Assembly to discontinue the proceedings.
The latest development marks the second impeachment attempt against Governor Fubara and his deputy within a year. A similar move in March 2025 followed a political fallout between the governor and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
That crisis prompted President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspend the governor, his deputy and the House of Assembly for six months, and appoint Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd) as administrator.
Fubara later returned to the office after a reconciliation process brokered by the President.
In December, the governor defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on whose platform he was elected in 2023, to the APC, saying he could not offer “backyard support” to the President without fully identifying with the ruling party.
The governor has yet to respond to the latest impeachment move formally.
