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The Rivers State House of Assembly has begun impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Oduh, accusing them of gross misconduct.
The move was announced during plenary on Thursday, with lawmakers relying on Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
The Leader of the House, Major Jack, read the notice of allegations against Fubara, while the Deputy Leader, Linda Stewart, read the notice of allegations against the deputy governor.
According to the lawmakers, the allegations include failure to present the state budget to the House, spending public funds without legislative approval, and withholding salaries and statutory funds meant for the House of Assembly, the Clerk, and the Assembly Service Commission.
Other allegations include the screening of government appointees by bodies other than the recognised House of Assembly and the demolition of the Assembly complex.
The 26 lawmakers said the actions of the governor and his deputy show that they lack the capacity to carry out their constitutional duties.
The Speaker of the House said the notices would be served on the governor and the deputy governor within seven days, as required by law.
The impeachment move comes against the backdrop of prolonged political tension in Rivers State. In 2025, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the oil-rich state and suspended the governor, his deputy, and all state lawmakers for 6 months following a breakdown of law and order linked to a rift between the executive and the legislature.
In a nationwide broadcast, Tinubu said he had received “disturbing security reports detailing incidents of vandalisation of pipelines by some militants without the governor taking any action to curtail them”. The state of emergency was later lifted six month after.
Details later.
