Rivers Assembly Asks Chief Judge To Begin Impeachment Process Against Fubara
After a few days lull in the impeachment proceedings of Gov Siminalayi Fubara, the Rivers State House of Assembly, Friday, asked the Chief Judge of the state, Simeon Chibuzor-Amadi, to set up a panel to investigate the gross misconduct allegations against Governor Fubara and his deputy, Ngọzi Odu.
The assembly made the request in two separate letters to the chief judge, signed by the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule.
The decision was taken during plenary on Friday, with 25 lawmakers voting in favour of the motion to forward the matter to the chief judge for further probe, in line with Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The allegations against the governor and his deputy include budgetary impropriety, failure to present the 2026 Appropriation Bill to the assembly, unauthorised expenditure of public funds, withholding of statutory allocations to the legislature, and other acts deemed to constitute gross misconduct.
Martins Amaewhule, speaker of the house, who presided over the session, directed the clerk to formally write to the chief judge within the stipulated timeframe to constitute a seven-member investigative panel to examine the claims.
The development marks the next procedural step in the ongoing impeachment proceedings initiated on January 8, when the assembly served notices on Fubara and Odu.
The lawmakers had launched the process after Major Jack, leader of the assembly, read gross misconduct charges against Fubara, which was signed at the time by 26 legislators.
Majority of the lawmakers are loyal to Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory and immediate former governor of Rivers state and of course, Fubara’s estranged godfather.
The assembly which initiated an impeachment proceedings on the governor a week ago by listing his ‘sins’, could not go on with the process at the next adjourned date.
But what followed was activities that were not clear and consistent with the the impeachment proceedings.
First, was the intervention by two assembly members who pleaded with the speaker and others to drop the impeachment plot.
They were quickly followed by another two parliamentarians who also towed their line.
However, it was the bewildered public who woke up on Friday to see the four members make a volte-face in the impeachment plot when they informed the public of their resolve to follow other members of the assembly in their resolve to follow through the impeachment proceedings.
To this end, members of the Rivers State House of Assembly insisted that the impeachment process against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, will continue, describing it as the only solution to the political crisis in the state.
The lawmakers made this known on Friday during a live broadcast aired in front of the Rivers State House of Assembly complex, after the Assembly failed to reconvene on Thursday as scheduled.
Taking turns to address the media, the legislators maintained that the impeachment proceedings were constitutional and in line with their legislative responsibilities.
They dismissed criticisms of the process, insisting that the Assembly was acting within the provisions of the law to address what they described as a political impasse in Rivers State.
The briefing came a day after the Assembly, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, failed to resume plenary on Thursday, exactly one week after adjourning its last sitting.
The House had, at its sitting last week, initiated impeachment proceedings against Fubara and his deputy over alleged gross misconduct.
The allegations included the demolition of the Assembly complex and spending public funds without legislative approval.
The impeachment move faced political pushback, with four lawmakers between Monday and Wednesday formally withdrawing from the process and calling for an amicable resolution of the crisis.
However, the four lawmakers — Minority Leader Sylvanus Nwankwo, Peter Abbey (Degema Constituency), Barile Nwakoh (Khana Constituency I), and Emilia Amadi (Obio/Akpor Constituency II) — have now reversed their earlier withdrawal and declared support for the impeachment.
Four members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who recently called for a peaceful resolution of the political crisis between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the legislature have made a U-turn, declaring support for the impeachment of the governor and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu.
The lawmakers said their change of position followed what they described as the governor’s and his deputy’s lack of remorse after their earlier appeal for an amicable settlement of the crisis.
They alleged that instead of engaging constructively, the governor and his supporters resorted to ridicule in the media.
Addressing journalists on Friday in Port Harcourt during a live briefing, the legislators dismissed speculation that their earlier stance had created divisions within the House, insisting that the Assembly remains united.
Meanwhile, the 26 members of the House who had earlier endorsed the impeachment process reiterated that proceedings against Governor Fubara and his deputy would continue, describing impeachment as the only viable solution to the political impasse in the state.
The development comes against the backdrop of the Assembly’s failure to reconvene plenary on Thursday as earlier scheduled, a situation that attracted widespread media criticism.
Tensions have continued to rise within the Assembly over the impeachment move. The House, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, had last week commenced impeachment proceedings against the governor and his deputy over allegations of gross misconduct.
The lawmakers maintained that the impeachment process was constitutional and in line with their legislative responsibilities.
Meanwhile, a Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has issued an interim injunction restraining the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Chike-Amaewhule, and 32 other defendants from taking further steps towards the impeachment process against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Nma-Odu.
The suit was filed separately by the governor and the deputy governor at the High Court in Oyigbo Local Government Area.
In the interim ruling on Friday, the court also barred the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Chibuzor-Amadi, from receiving or acting on any communication from members of the Assembly concerning the constitution of a panel of inquiry into the alleged misconduct against the two top officials.
The order, granted by Justice F.A. Fiberesima, specifically prevents the Chief Judge from accepting, forwarding, considering or acting on any request, resolution or impeachment-related documents allegedly sent by the lawmakers for a period of seven days.
The court further ruled on the mode of service of the legal processes, granting the claimants permission to serve the interim injunction and other originating court documents on the first to 31 defendants by pasting them at the entrance gate of the Rivers State House of Assembly quarters.
Justice Fiberesima also directed that the Chief Judge, listed as the 32nd defendant in the case, should be served through any staff member of the judiciary at his chambers located within the High Court premises.
The interim order is expected to remain in force for seven days, pending further proceedings in the matter.
