The Rivers State House of Assembly has served a notice of alleged misconduct against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy Ngozi Odu.
According to the notice obtained by Channels Television, the lawmakers claimed the action was in line with the Nigerian Constitution.
“In compliance with Section 188 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and other extant laws, we the undersigned members of the Rivers State House of Assembly hereby forward to you a Notice of Gross Misconduct by the Deputy Governor of Rivers State in the performance of the functions of her office,” the notice read.
Upon receipt of the notice, Amaewhule forwarded the same to Governor Fubara and said the allegation was raised by 26 lawmakers “which is not less than one-third (1/3) of the membership of the Rivers State House of Assembly”.
Speaker Amaewhule asked Fubara to “reply to the allegations made against you in the said Notice of Allegations of Gross Misconduct accordingly”.
He said, “In doing this, your attention is drawn to the provisions of Section 188(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), which provides thus: ‘Within 14 days of the presentation of the notice to the Speaker of the House of Assembly (whether or not any statement made by holder of the office in reply to the allegation contained in the notice) the House of Assembly shall resolve by motion, without any debate whether or not the allegation shall be investigated.’
“Please be guided accordingly and do accept my esteemed regards.”
Political Implications and Next Steps
Fubara has been at loggerheads with former Governor Nyesom Wike’s loyalists in the House of Assembly, with previous attempts by the lawmakers to impeach him resulting in physical confrontations and security tensions within the state.
While the governor has not yet responded to the allegations, political observers suggest this move could either lead to his impeachment or further negotiations between the warring factions within the state’s political structure.
Recently, the former Governor was quoted as saying he will not prevent the lawmakers from impeaching Fubara.
Back story
On March 3, 2025, Nairametrics reported that the lawmakers, now recognized by the Supreme Court as the duly constituted Assembly, insisted that the governor must submit the 2025 fiscal plan for legislative scrutiny.
Governor Fubara had previously signed the N1.1 trillion 2025 budget into law on January 2, after presenting it to the faction of lawmakers led by Victor Oko-Jumbo. However, a Supreme Court ruling last week effectively nullified the legislative actions taken by the Oko-Jumbo-led faction, affirming the legitimacy of Amaewhule’s group.
