Lawmakers of the Rivers State House of Assembly have alleged that they uncovered a plot by certain individuals linked to the executive arm of the state government to obtain a court order preventing the legislature from performing its functions.
This comes as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, ended his tour of the 23 local government areas of the state.
A statement issued in Port Harcourt on Sunday by the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Petitions and Complaints, Dr Enemi George, said the alleged plot involved securing an ex parte order from a Rivers State High Court operating outside Port Harcourt, the state capital.
Last Thursday, the lawmakers, led by the Speaker, Martins Amaewhule, formally commenced impeachment proceedings against the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu.
The Majority Leader, Major Jack, presented a notice signed by 26 lawmakers, outlining multiple allegations of gross misconduct against the governor.
The allegations include extra-budgetary spending of over N800bn without legislative approval, withholding funds allocated to the Assembly Service Commission, demolition of the Assembly complex, and defiance of Supreme Court rulings on legislative autonomy.
A separate notice was also read against the deputy governor for allegedly conniving in unconstitutional expenditures.
Amaewhule announced that the notices would be served on the governor and his deputy within seven days, in line with the Constitution.
The development marks a renewed escalation of the protracted political crisis in Rivers State, stemming from the fallout between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
Previous impeachment attempts in 2023 and 2025 were halted by presidential interventions, before a state of emergency was declared by President Bola Tinubu last March.
However, the House said in Sunday’s statement to journalists that the alleged attempt to halt the impeachment proceedings was dead on arrival, as it amounted to an effort to subvert the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
The lawmakers described the alleged plot as illegal, saying it violated Sections 272(3) and 188(10) of the Constitution, as well as existing judicial decisions of the Court of Appeal.
George said that instead of running from pillar to post, the office holders served with notices of allegations of gross misconduct should respond accordingly.
Meanwhile, Governor Fubara has returned to Port Harcourt after a recent trip abroad.
Unconfirmed reports claimed that the governor travelled to France to meet with the President over the impeachment move, though the reports were not confirmed by official state sources.
The latest move by the lawmakers is the third impeachment attempt against the governor in less than three years.
Despite the renewed political tension in the state, Governor Fubara and members of his administration have remained silent on the allegations of gross misconduct levelled against them by the Assembly.
Wike asserts grip
Following the development, accusations surfaced that Wike was the mastermind behind the impeachment move, recalling comments he made during his recent tour of local government areas in the state, where he described the governor as a “mistake” he planned to correct in 2027 — remarks later echoed by the Speaker.
“Siminalayi Fubara is a mistake; Rivers State has never had it this bad,” Amaewhule had said, also faulting the governor and his deputy for allegedly failing to submit the 2026 budget to the Assembly.
The former Rivers governor dismissed calls for his removal from office, saying such decisions rest solely with the President.
“So, don’t bother about people who say, ‘Sack him.’ If my appointor believes that I can no longer offer anything, he has the right, not you. But I am very proud that the people of Obio/Akpor are proud, that Rivers people are proud, and we can tell Nigerians that we have not disappointed them as far as the FCT is concerned.
“I said it yesterday in Port Harcourt: if you’re not doing well, nobody will talk about you. But because we’re doing well, they will talk about us,” he said.
The PUNCH