Rivers Impeachment Storm Deepens As Assembly Vows To Push Out Fubara
The political crisis in Rivers State took a dramatic turn on Friday as the State House of Assembly insisted that impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu, will continue without retreat.
Jamisi News gathered that the lawmakers reached the decision during a tense resumed plenary session, where they unanimously resolved to proceed with investigations into allegations of gross misconduct leveled against the governor and his deputy.
The sitting, which was presided over by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, marked another escalation in the power struggle between the executive and the legislature in the oil-rich state.
Following the resolution, the Assembly formally requested the Chief Judge of Rivers State to constitute a seven-man panel to probe the allegations, in strict compliance with constitutional provisions guiding impeachment proceedings.
Announcing the outcome, Speaker Amaewhule declared that the lawmakers had “spoken with one voice,” stressing that the ball was now in the court of the judiciary.
“This voting clearly reflects the collective decision of the House,” Amaewhule stated, as he urged the Chief Judge to immediately take the next constitutional step by setting up an investigative panel.
In a significant political twist, four lawmakers who had earlier withdrawn from the impeachment process resurfaced on Friday, openly declaring their renewed support for the move to remove the governor.
Addressing journalists at a press briefing, the legislators accused Governor Fubara of serial violations of the 1999 Constitution, arguing that the Assembly was left with no option but to invoke its impeachment powers.
They further alleged that the governor had resorted to intimidation and political blackmail, insisting that he no longer commands the moral authority or trust required to manage the deepening crisis rocking the state.
According to the lawmakers, the conduct of both the governor and his deputy showed a lack of commitment to any genuine peace process, but rather an attempt to pressure the Assembly into abandoning the impeachment plot while continuing what they described as acts of impunity.
The legislators maintained that the impeachment process must proceed without interference, vowing that the House of Assembly remains resolute in carrying out its constitutional duties “to the bitter end,” as Rivers State braces for what could become one of its most consequential political showdowns in recent history.
