The Rivers State House of Assembly on Friday called on the Chief Judge of the state to constitute a panel to investigate allegations of gross misconduct against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu.
The call followed a unanimous vote by lawmakers, who declared their resolve to proceed with the impeachment process.
Earlier in the day, members of the Assembly addressed a live press conference in Port Harcourt, where they accused the governor of resorting to blackmail and intimidation of the legislature.
Speaking on behalf of the lawmakers, Deputy Speaker Dumle Maol said Governor Fubara no longer enjoyed the trust required to resolve the political crisis rocking the oil-rich state.
According to him, the Assembly had been left with no option but to invoke its constitutional powers after what he described as repeated violations of the 1999 Constitution by the governor.
Maol said the lawmakers believed impeachment was the only viable solution at this stage.
“It is obvious that the only solution now is to apply the solution prescribed by the 1999 Constitution as altered, which is the impeachment of the incorrigible governor and the deputy governor,” he said.
He appealed to leaders and residents of Rivers State to support the Assembly’s decision, insisting that the process was in the best interest of the state.
“We therefore strongly appeal to leaders at all levels and the good people of Rivers State to kindly consider the problem at hand and understand that the impeachment process is the best way to go at this point,” Maol stated.
The lawmakers also expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for intervening in the crisis, noting that his efforts at mediation had not yielded results.
“We thank our dear President, Bola Tinubu, who has demonstrated so much love for Rivers State. He did his best for the resolution of this impasse, but the governor and deputy governor are adamant,” the deputy speaker added.
The Assembly members further called on the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, to reconvene the House to allow constitutional processes to proceed without obstruction.
During the press conference, four lawmakers who had earlier called for a political solution reversed their position and declared support for the continuation of the impeachment process.
Shortly after the briefing, the lawmakers proceeded to the chambers, where a plenary session was held.
At the session, the House unanimously voted in favour of investigating the allegations of gross misconduct against Governor Fubara and his deputy.
“This voting clearly shows the decision of the House,” Amaewhule said, as he formally called on the Chief Judge of Rivers State to set up a panel of investigation.
