The Rivers State House of Assembly has formally set in motion impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara, with Speaker Martins Amaewhule delivering a scathing indictment of the governor’s administration, describing him as “a mistake” and accusing him of gross misconduct that threatens the foundations of democratic governance in the state.
The impeachment move, which represents a dramatic escalation in the protracted political crisis that has gripped Rivers State for months, came during a plenary session presided over by Amaewhule, after the House reversed an earlier plan to resume on January 26, opting instead to reconvene on Thursday to address what lawmakers characterised as urgent constitutional violations by the state’s chief executive.
During the sitting, the Majority Leader, Major Jack, read a notice of allegations and gross misconduct levelled against Governor Fubara. The notice, bearing the signatures of 26 lawmakers, accused the governor of multiple actions allegedly in violation of the Nigerian Constitution, setting the stage for what could become one of the most consequential political confrontations in the state’s recent history.
Among the most serious allegations contained in the notice, the lawmakers accused Governor Fubara of converting state funds into dollars and allegedly paying individuals from Abuja to influence President Bola Tinubu to prevail on the Assembly not to summon him to present the 2026 budget. This accusation, if substantiated, would represent a grave breach of constitutional norms governing the relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government.
Speaker Amaewhule disclosed that the notice would be served on the governor within seven days, in strict compliance with constitutional provisions governing impeachment proceedings. He emphasised that the impeachment process had formally commenced and that his responsibility as Speaker was to transmit the notice as required by law, signalling that the House was prepared to follow through with the constitutional mechanism to its logical conclusion.
In a pointed warning clearly directed at the governor, Amaewhule stated that any attempt by Fubara to present the appropriation bill or the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework while the allegations were under investigation would not halt the impeachment process. The Speaker’s remarks suggested that the House viewed such a move as a potential diversionary tactic rather than a genuine effort to fulfil constitutional obligations.
According to Amaewhule, the governor has consistently failed to present a budget to the Assembly, and insisted that if Fubara was genuinely willing to do so, he would have acted much earlier. This failure to present the 2026 appropriation bill has become the centrepiece of the impeachment charges, with lawmakers arguing that it constitutes a fundamental abdication of executive responsibility.
“The particulars of gross misconduct have a lot to do with refusal to present a budget and spending outside the appropriation law,” Amaewhule said, articulating what the Assembly views as the core constitutional violations that warrant the governor’s removal from office.
“There is a notice, and the process of impeachment is on, and having received it, my job is to forward it, and it is important that we allow this process to go through. The motion says that in the event that the governor tries, as he has always tried to do, to be smart by half, to now say he wants to bring the appropriation bill, or to present the medium-term expenditure framework, the movers of the motion say, ‘Let him hold on and allow the investigation of the allegation brought against him and the deputy governor to be concluded.'”
The Speaker continued: “In any case, the governor does not want to present any budget, because if he wanted to, he would have brought it all this while.”
In what represents one of the most direct and personal attacks on a sitting governor by a state legislature in recent Nigerian political history, Amaewhule declared: “Siminalayi Fubara is a mistake; Rivers State has never had it this bad. In the entirety of Nigeria, Siminalayi Fubara and the deputy governor, Prof. Ngozi Odu, are the only ones in office at the sub-national level that are yet to present the 2026 appropriation bill in the entire country.”
The Speaker expanded the scope of his criticism beyond Nigeria’s borders, saying: “I’m sure if you go to the West African region or Africa, you will not find any subnational government that has not presented the 2026 appropriation bill. Who would believe that in this 21st century a state like Rivers won’t have an appropriation bill either presented or passed? Nothing is holding the governor from presenting it; he chose not to.”
Amaewhule further accused Governor Fubara of undermining the legislature and showing contempt for constitutional processes. According to the Speaker, the governor has boasted of seeking presidential intervention to restrain the Assembly and has repeatedly described the 10th Rivers Assembly as a “toothless bulldog” incapable of enforcing constitutional provisions.
“And the governor has been boasting that he will always go and meet the president for him to call us and give us instruction. He has been saying to his followers that this 10th Rivers Assembly is nothing but a toothless bulldog, and we can’t do anything or enforce the constitution,” Amaewhule said, suggesting that the impeachment move was partly motivated by a determination to assert the Assembly’s constitutional authority in the face of what lawmakers perceive as executive overreach and contempt.
The Speaker painted the situation in stark terms, framing it as a crisis that transcends partisan politics and threatens democratic norms. “This is a sad commentary for our democracy. Sir Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy are nothing but a threat to democracy, and if they are left in office, I don’t know what will happen,” he declared, characterising the impeachment as a necessary democratic corrective rather than a political vendetta.
Amaewhule emphasised that the impeachment move was primarily based on the governor’s refusal to present the budget, a constitutional obligation that governors across Nigeria’s 36 states are required to fulfil. The failure to present an appropriation bill has left Rivers State without a legal framework for public expenditure in 2026, raising questions about the legitimacy of any spending undertaken by the executive arm during this period.
The Speaker revealed that several meetings had previously been held with President Bola Tinubu and former Rivers State governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, in efforts to resolve the deepening political crisis in the state. The mention of these high-level interventions underscores the national significance of the Rivers political turmoil and the extent to which it has drawn the attention of the country’s highest political leadership.
The political crisis in Rivers State has its roots in a bitter fallout between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who remains a powerful political figure in the state and wields considerable influence within the ruling All Progressives Congress at the national level, despite his role in bringing Fubara to power under the Peoples Democratic Party. The conflict has manifested in various forms, including disputes over control of party structures, local government administration, and legislative loyalty.
The current impeachment move by lawmakers loyal to the Amaewhule-led faction represents the most serious threat yet to Fubara’s tenure. The constitutional process for impeachment requires that allegations of gross misconduct be substantiated through investigation, and that at least two-thirds of the House support removal. With 26 lawmakers reportedly signing the impeachment notice, the threshold for initiating proceedings has clearly been met, though the ultimate success of the effort will depend on maintaining that supermajority through the investigative and voting stages.
The development comes amid a complex legal and political landscape in Rivers State, where questions have been raised about the legitimacy of the House faction led by Amaewhule, particularly after the lawmakers defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress. Governor Fubara has previously argued that the defection automatically vacated the seats of the lawmakers, a position that has been contested and remains subject to judicial interpretation.
The impeachment threat also raises questions about federal intervention and the role of President Tinubu, who has previously been credited with brokering peace agreements between the warring factions. Political observers note that the President’s response to this latest escalation will be closely watched, as it could signal the federal government’s position on the balance of power in Rivers State and its willingness to intervene in what is ostensibly a state matter.
For Governor Fubara, the impeachment notice presents a critical challenge to his political survival. Constitutional provisions require that he be given an opportunity to respond to the allegations within a specified timeframe, and that an investigative panel be constituted to examine the charges. The governor’s legal and political strategy in responding to these allegations will likely determine whether he can withstand this latest assault on his administration.
The failure to present the 2026 appropriation bill, which forms the central plank of the impeachment charges, is itself a consequence of the political standoff between the executive and the legislature. Governors typically present budget proposals to state assemblies as part of the constitutional framework for fiscal planning and accountability. The absence of this process in Rivers State reflects the complete breakdown in relations between the two arms of government.
Legal experts have noted that while the refusal to present a budget could constitute grounds for impeachment under the category of gross misconduct, the success of such proceedings would depend on demonstrating wilful disregard for constitutional duty rather than inability to act due to circumstances beyond the governor’s control. Governor Fubara’s defence is likely to centre on the legitimacy of the House faction seeking to impeach him and the political motivations behind the move.
The allegation that the governor converted state funds into dollars and paid individuals to lobby the President adds a dimension of financial impropriety to the impeachment charges. If proven, such actions would raise serious questions about fiscal accountability and the proper use of public resources, potentially strengthening the case for removal beyond the budget presentation issue alone.
The involvement of Deputy Governor Prof. Ngozi Odu in the impeachment notice suggests that the House is considering a wholesale change in the state’s executive leadership, rather than a selective removal of the governor alone. This approach, while constitutionally permissible, raises the stakes considerably and could trigger even more intense political and legal battles.
