By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Rivers State House of Assembly on Friday, 16 January, 2026 advanced impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, by passing a resolution requesting the state’s Chief Judge to investigate allegations of gross misconduct levelled against them.
The resolution was adopted during plenary, with 25 lawmakers voting in favour of referring the matter to the Chief Judge for further action, in accordance with Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). The move formally triggers the next constitutional stage of the impeachment process.
The allegations against the governor and his deputy include budgetary impropriety, failure to present the 2026 Appropriation Bill to the House of Assembly, unauthorised expenditure of public funds, withholding of statutory allocations meant for the legislature, and other actions considered by lawmakers to constitute gross misconduct.
Presiding over the session, the Speaker of the House, Martins Amaewhule, directed the Clerk of the Assembly to immediately notify the Chief Judge in writing.
He said the communication should be done within the stipulated timeframe to enable the constitution of a seven-member investigative panel to examine the allegations.
The latest development follows the formal commencement of impeachment proceedings on Thursday, 8 January, 2026 when the assembly served notices of allegations on Fubara and Odu.
At the time, the process was initiated after Major Jack, Leader of the Assembly, read out the gross misconduct charges against the governor during plenary.
The charges, according to the lawmakers, were endorsed by 26 legislators and formed the basis for invoking the impeachment provisions of the constitution.
Meanwhile, the political tension surrounding the impeachment process has been heightened by internal divisions within the state.
A majority of the lawmakers backing the move are said to be loyal to Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, who has publicly opposed Fubara’s re-election bid.
Wike has accused the governor of breaching a peace agreement both men signed before President Bola Tinubu lifted the emergency rule previously imposed in Rivers State.
As the process unfolds, attention is now focused on the Chief Judge’s response and the constitution of the investigative panel that will determine the next phase of the proceedings.
