The Rivers State House of Assembly on Thursday commenced impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, accusing them of gross misconduct.
The development marks the second attempt by lawmakers to remove the governor and his deputy within one year, following a similar move in March 2025.
During plenary presided over by the Speaker, Martins Amaewhule, the Majority Leader of the House, Major Jack, formally presented a notice of allegations against the governor, citing Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution.
Jack outlined seven allegations of gross misconduct against Fubara, including the demolition of the Assembly complex, extra-budgetary expenditure, withholding of funds meant for the Assembly Service Commission, and refusal to comply with Supreme Court rulings on the financial autonomy of the legislature.
A total of 26 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly signed the notice.
“I will ensure that this letter is forwarded to His Excellency, Siminalayi Fubara, Governor of Rivers State, within seven days,” Speaker Amaewhule said.
Shortly after, the Deputy Leader of the House, Linda Stewart, also laid a notice of gross misconduct against Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu.
The allegations against Odu include reckless and unconstitutional spending of public funds, obstruction of the House from performing its constitutional duties, conniving to allow unauthorised persons to occupy offices without proper screening, and seeking budgetary approval from another group instead of the recognised House of Assembly.
Other allegations include the seizure of salaries and allowances meant for the Assembly and the Assembly Service Commission.
This fresh impeachment move comes amid renewed political tension in the oil-rich state. In March 2025, lawmakers had similarly accused Fubara and Odu of gross misconduct following the fallout between the governor and his predecessor, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
At the height of that crisis, President Bola Tinubu intervened and declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending the governor, his deputy and the House of Assembly for an initial period of six months, in line with Section 305(5) of the Constitution. Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.) was appointed as administrator of the state.
Fubara later returned to office after six months following a reconciliation brokered between him, Wike and the lawmakers.
In December 2025, the governor defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on whose platform he was elected in 2023, to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), alongside several of his supporters.
“We cannot support the President if we don’t fully identify with him, not backyard support,” Fubara said at the time, announcing his defection.
The latest impeachment proceedings have once again thrown Rivers State politics into uncertainty, as the Assembly moves forward with constitutional processes against the governor and his deputy.
