Reactions Trail Rivers Assembly’s Fresh Move To Impeach Fubara

Reactions have trailed the resumption of impeachment proceedings against Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, and her deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu, by members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

The fresh impeachment notice, which was signed by 26 members of the State House of Assembly, accused Fubara and his deputy of misconduct and inappropriate conduct.

The Assembly, in a notice of impeachment signed by 26 members of the House, accused Fubara of gross misconduct.

The allegations include: reckless and unconstitutional expenditure of public funds; unconstitutional misappropriation of public funds; and hindering the Rivers State House of Assembly from performing its constitutional duties.

Others are illegal appointments of persons without allowing for screening by the House of Assembly as provided by the Constitution; seizure of salaries and funds meant for Assembly members; and seizure of salaries of the Clerk of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Emeka Amadi.

Other allegations include refusal to implement provisions of the Constitution on financial autonomy of the Legislature and the Judiciary, withholding of funds meant for the running of the Rivers State House of Assembly Service Commission and hindering its activities.

In a plenary chaired by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, Majority Leader Major Jack tabled the notice of gross misconduct against Fubara, supported by 26 lawmakers.

The allegations, under Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution, cite financial recklessness and legislative obstruction—including failure to submit budget documents, unauthorised expenditures, diversion of House and Service Commission funds, demolition of the Assembly complex, and disregard for financial autonomy and court orders.

Speaker Amaewhule described Governor Fubara as a ‘mistake.’

He said: “Siminalayi Fubara is a mistake; Rivers people have never had it this bad. In the entire Nigeria, Fubara and Professor Ngozi Odu are the only people at the sub-national level that are yet to present the 2026 appropriation Bill in the entire country.

“Who will believe that a state like Rivers does not have an appropriation Bill, either presented or passed, in 2026.”

Amaewhule further accused Fubara of undermining democratic governance in the state.

According to the Speaker, the executive arm of government has repeatedly failed to comply with constitutional provisions, particularly in relation to budget presentation and expenditure approvals.

“Nothing is holding the government from presenting the budget; he deliberately chose not to,” Amaewhule said.

“The governor has been telling his followers that this Assembly is nothing but a toothless bulldog, that the 10th House of Assembly cannot do anything and cannot enforce the Constitution,” he said.

Amaewhule described the situation as dangerous for democratic governance in Rivers State.

“This is a sad commentary on our democracy. Sir Siminalayi Fubara and Professor Ngozi Odu are a threat to our democracy. If they are allowed to continue this way, I fear for what will become of democratic governance in Rivers State,” he said.

The Speaker further alleged that the governor and his deputy had been spending public funds without legislative authorisation.

“They are moving from place to place, spending taxpayers’ money without the approval of the House,” Amaewhule said.

According to him, the governor’s refusal to present budgetary allocations to the Assembly forms part of the reasons behind both the previous and the current impeachment efforts.

Amaewhule also said efforts by President Bola Tinubu and former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, to resolve the crisis had not yielded results.

“Mr President has called several meetings, and our leader, Chief Nyesom Wike, has also intervened on several occasions,” he said.

“But the governor maintained that he would not present the budget and that nothing would happen if he refused to do so.”

This move is the second attempt by the lawmakers to impeach Gov Fubara and his deputy, following a similar one in March 2025.

Following escalating tensions in the oil-rich state, President Bola Tinubu intervened and declared a state of emergency.

The President suspended Fubara, his deputy and the Rivers Assembly and said the development was “required by Section 305(5) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.”

Late last year, Fubara defected to the APC shortly after the state lawmakers dumped the PDP for the APC.

APC reacts to impeachment moves

Meanwhile, the Chief Emeka Beke-led faction of the APC in the state has rejected the impeachment process initiated by the Rivers State House of Assembly against Fubara.

The spokesman for the faction, Darlington Nwauju, in a statement in Port Harcourt yesterday, said the development was unfortunate.

“We concede that the legislature is an independent arm in the tripod of governance, and the constitutional responsibilities of checks and balances are within their democratic purview.

“Our position as at today on this matter is that we solemnly reject the resort to an impeachment process against our Governor and his deputy.

“It will be totally untenable for our party to keep quiet when an obvious hangover from strife that occurred within the PDP is allowed to resurface in our great party.

“It is important to say to Rivers people and Nigerians that since the latest threat of impeachment centres on the budget, may we remind ourselves that under the period of emergency rule, a budget was transmitted to the National Assembly by the President and Commander-in-Chief in May 2025, which was approved by the Senate on 25 June 2025 and subsequently by the House of Representatives on 22 July 2025, for a total sum of N1.485 trillion.

“Interestingly, this budget is for one year and should run until August 2026 and if the Governor is comfortable with the composition of the said budget, he may elect not to present any supplementary budget. Besides, the Constitution allows for a six-month spending window into the new fiscal year by a state governor.

“We therefore strongly advise all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, especially APC members, to resist pressures from outside the Assembly chambers to destabilise the Government of Rivers State ably led by His Excellency Sir Siminalayi Fubara.

“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.

“We therefore call on members of the State Assembly, especially APC members, to immediately discontinue the impeachment process in order not to drag the image of our great party into the mud and stifle the continuous progress and development of Rivers State.”

Reacting and also speaking on the development, the South-East senatorial youth leader of the APC, Hon Innocent Ajaelu, said: “For me, it is early in the day to talk about the impeachment. Let us see how it unfolds; let us know whether it is right or wrong. I will appeal to Rivers people to remain calm. The legislative and executive arms are doing their checks and balances.

“Let it not snowball into non-actors getting too involved. Impeachment can be resolved at a round-table dialogue and the state moves on. Like I said, and I have ever said to anybody, no matter who you are.”

Also, the Ijaw National Congress (INC) and the Ijaw Youth Congress (IYC) have called for immediate de-escalation of the current political hostilities in Rivers State.

Eastern zones of the INC and IYC, in a joint statement issued in Port Harcourt, said the escalation of political tension posed a significant threat to public peace, democratic order, and the stability of Rivers State.

“The escalation of political tension occasioned by this conduct poses a significant threat to public peace, democratic order, and the stability of Rivers State.

“The peace accord brokered by His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday, 26 June 2025, between former Governor Wike and Governor Fubara, was widely welcomed as a necessary step towards reconciling warring factions and restoring harmony in the state,” they said.

However, the Movement for the Survival of the Izon Ethnic Nationality in the Niger Delta (MOSIEND) called for restraint, dialogue and peace amidst the impeachment proceedings in Rivers State.

MOSIEND President, Dr Kennedy West, said while the organisation recognises the constitutional powers of the legislature and the seriousness of the allegations raised, it firmly believes that the current situation is one that can still be resolved amicably.

The statement reads in part: “The Movement for the Survival of the Izon Ethnic Nationality in the Niger Delta (MOSIEND) has followed with deep concern the impeachment proceedings commenced by members of the Rivers State House of Assembly against the Governor of Rivers State, premised on allegations of gross misconduct.

“These allegations include, among others: reckless and unconstitutional expenditure of public funds; misappropriation of public resources; hindering the constitutional functions of the Rivers State House of Assembly; illegal appointments without legislative screening; seizure and withholding of salaries and statutory funds meant for Assembly members, the Clerk of the House, the House of Assembly Service Commission, as well as refusal to fully implement constitutional provisions on the financial autonomy of the Legislature and the Judiciary.

“While MOSIEND recognises the constitutional powers of the legislature and the seriousness of the allegations raised, we firmly believe that the current situation is one that can still be resolved amicably through sincere dialogue, mutual understanding and statesmanship.

“In every working environment involving human beings, perception differences, disagreements and conflicts are inevitable.

“Such differences, however grave, can and should be addressed through constructive engagement, round-table discussions and well-structured mediation mechanisms.

“Impeachment, in our considered view, should remain a measure of last resort, only to be pursued after all avenues for reconciliation and mediation have been genuinely and exhaustively explored,” the group said.

Meanwhile, a member of the Rivers Elders Council, Dr Ken Robinson, said all that is needed in Rivers State is peace ahead of the 2027 election in the state.

Robinson, who is the immediate past national publicity secretary of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), said: “All that we need is peace. And as someone who has spent his life in the Niger Delta, I want the Rivers State House of Assembly and Governor Siminalayi Fubara to toe the path of peace.”

But responding to the impeachment notice, the South-South Youth Initiative (SSYI) expressed dismay over the recent political happenings in the state.

The SSYI National President, Saviour Imiade, said: “On behalf of the youths of the South-South region and Rivers State in particular, we express our utter dismay over the recent happenings in the Rivers political space, especially with the notice of impeachment by the State House of Assembly against Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

“We wish to categorically condemn the resurgence of such impeachment threats against the Governor by the Assembly.”

Senior Lawyers React

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Abdul Balogun, said the crisis in the state has been allowed to linger for too long.

He said things may get out of hand since it has been allowed to last for this long.

He urged President Bola Tinubu to once again call all concerned to order before things get out of hand.

“It is still okay at this point to call all the actors to order before it snowballs into a full-blown crisis we may not be able to handle.

“We do not have to wait till innocent lives are lost before we begin to act. If the allegations against the governor are true, the law should take its course,” he said.

Constitutional lawyer, Arebe O. Julius, said in almost three years since the Rivers State governor was elected, it has been from one crisis to the other.

To him, the people of the state have not been able to enjoy the dividends of democracy and there has been no peace in the state.

He, however, cautioned: “We should not play politics with the lives of the people of the state because no doubt this is where all these are heading now. The earlier we address this issue, the better for everyone.”

Abuja-based lawyer, Patrick Awokeye Jr., also called for caution, corroborating that the disagreement has gone on for too long.

“I think we have had enough crises in this country; we should not include another one from Rivers. The country cannot afford to have it at this time,” he said.

Timeline of Fubara, Lawmakers Rift

The face-off between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the Rivers State House of Assembly began in 2024 following attempts by members of the State House of Assembly, who allegedly defected en masse to the All Progressives Congress (APC), to impeach him.

On 30 October 2024, an explosion occurred and destroyed the State Assembly building, leading to its demolition by the state government.

The House, led by the Speaker, Rt Hon Martins Amaewhule, relocated their sittings to the hall of the House of Assembly quarters, while a faction of the House loyal to the governor and led by Rt Hon Edison Ehie held its sittings at the administrative building of Government House, Port Harcourt.

The Ehie-led faction of the House passed the 2025 appropriation Bill of the state, which was being implemented by Fubara until 18 March 2025, when President Bola Tinubu imposed a six-month emergency rule in the state, suspending both the executive and the legislature.

On 18 September 2025, the state of emergency was lifted, but the relationship between the state legislature, who are loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, and Fubara, remained sour.

Recently, the House of Assembly accused the governor of paying less attention to critical infrastructure in the state. The members even ordered the governor to present the list of commissioners for screening and approval, as well as the 2026 appropriation Bill, which Fubara never did until they initiated the impeachment process.