The Rivers State House of Assembly on Thursday commenced impeachment proceedings against embattled Governor Siminalayi Fubara, escalating the protracted political crisis rocking the state.
The move followed an emergency plenary sitting of the House presided over by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule, after lawmakers made a sudden U-turn on their earlier decision to resume plenary on January 26, opting instead to reconvene on Thursday.
The sitting was conveyed through an internal memo signed by the Clerk of the House, Emeka Amadi, and circulated to all members.
The memo, dated January 5, read in part: “By the leave of the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule DSSRS, and in line with Order 4, Rule 3 of the Standing Orders of the Rivers House of Assembly (1999), you are hereby informed that the House will reconvene for plenary on Thursday, 8th January, 2026, at 10:00am.”
“Consequently, you are expected to treat this information with utmost importance and attend the sitting accordingly.”
During the plenary, the Majority Leader of the House, Major Jack, formally read out a notice of allegations and gross misconduct against Governor Fubara.
The lawmakers accused the governor of allegedly converting state funds into dollars and paying individuals from Abuja to influence President Bola Tinubu to prevail on the Assembly not to summon him to present the 2025 budget.
According to the Assembly, 26 members signed the notice of allegations, which they said was anchored on violations of the Nigerian Constitution.
Amaewhule said the notice would be formally served on Governor Fubara within the next seven days, in line with constitutional provisions.
The crisis widened further as the Deputy Majority Leader, Linda Stewart, also read a separate notice of allegations and gross misconduct against the Deputy Governor, Ngozi Odu, signalling a broadening of the impeachment process.
The latest development marks a significant escalation in the political standoff between the executive and legislature in Rivers State, raising fresh concerns over governance and stability in the oil-rich state.
