President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s efforts to bring peace between important political figures in Rivers State have failed once more. The State House of Assembly began impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, yesterday.
According to Daily Trust, the Assembly, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, sent a notice of impeachment to Fubara and Odu, saying they had committed serious misconduct, broken the constitution, and acted unethically with money.
This is the third time in less than three years that someone has tried to impeach Fubara. The political turmoil in Rivers State has been going on since he had a falling out with his predecessor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
When parliamentarians loyal to Wike tried to impeach Fubara in December 2023, Tinubu stepped in. This led to a peace settlement between the governor, the Assembly, and the FCT minister.
In March 2025, Tinubu proclaimed a state of emergency in Rivers State when the Assembly started impeachment procedures against him. This meant that the governor, his deputy, and the parliamentarians were all suspended. During the emergency rule, Ibok-Ete Ibas was named administrator.
Before the emergency period was over, the president once again brought peace to the political actors, making it possible for Fubara to come back.
But the Assembly’s actions yesterday make it seem like the most recent truce has failed.
The Assembly has made 8 accusations against Fubara.
The Rivers State House of Assembly made eight serious accusations against Governor Fubara at plenary yesterday, using Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution as their basis.
Majority Leader Major Jack said that the governor was guilty of: (1) spending public money in an irresponsible and illegal way; (2) taking public money in an illegal way; (3) stopping the Rivers State House of Assembly from doing its constitutional duties; (4) hiring people without the Assembly’s permission, which is required by the constitution; and (5) taking salaries and money meant for lawmakers.
Other claims include (6) taking the salary of Emeka Amadi, the Clerk of the House; (7) not following constitutional rules about the financial independence of the legislature and the judiciary; and (8) not giving the Rivers State House of Assembly Service Commission the money it needs to do its job.
The MPs then signed the impeachment notification, which they claimed will be sent to Fubara within seven days.
Linda Stewart, the Deputy Leader, also made a motion to impeach Odu for allegedly breaking the law.
Alleged violation of the peace pact is said to have caused the problem.
Political experts argue that the impeachment process goes beyond the allegations and instead points to assertions that Fubara broke agreements that were supposedly made during prior peace talks, such as a commitment not to run for a second term.
Sources also suggested that the impeachment was caused by a disagreement over a supplemental budget that Wike’s friends were supposedly trying to get passed in the State Assembly. People reported that Fubara turned down the offer, saying that the N1.48 trillion budget for 2025 that was passed during the emergency rule was enough.
Since taking over from Wike in 2023, Fubara has had to deal with a lot of conflict between the administration and the legislature. This led to a state of emergency and his suspension.
The split has continued since his reinstatement last September, with the Assembly asking for the 2025 budget and a list of commissioners, which the governor has not yet met. The fight over Fubara’s goal of getting a second term has become the main issue in the Rivers’ political crisis. Wike has promised to “fix the mistake of 2023” in 2027.
After Fubara allegedly turned down the extra budget, Wike reportedly called political friends, including Assembly members, to the home of Ferdinand Anabraba, an elder statesman, in Port Harcourt.
Sources say that Fubara sped up his alignment with the All Progressives Congress (APC) because he thought a fight was coming. President Tinubu agreed.
An insider remarked, “The idea was that bringing Fubara into the APC would make Wike’s power weaker.”
Fubara was also believed to have broken the agreements that said he had to put Sergeant Awuse back in charge of the state’s traditional rulers’ council and choose new commissioners.
“Fubara thought those conditions would entirely weaken his power. A source remarked, “That was the last straw.”
Speaker: Fubara is a misunderstanding for Rivers
Speaker Martins Amaewhule called the governor a “mistake” and said he had done things that were very wrong after the impeachment notice for Fubara.
He claimed that the governor would get the notice within seven days, as required by the constitution.
He also said that the impeachment process had officially begun and that it was his job to send the notice as required by law.
Amaewhule also said that if the governor tried to introduce the appropriation bill or the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework while the claims were being looked into, it would not stop the process.
He said that the governor had always failed to produce a budget and that he would have moved sooner if Fubara had been willing to do so.
He remarked, “The details of gross misconduct have a lot to do with not presenting a budget and spending money that isn’t allowed by law.”
“There is a notice, and the impeachment process is on. My job is to send it on, and we need to let this process go through.”
The motion says that if the governor tries to be smart by half, as he has always tried to do, and says he wants to bring the Appropriation Bill or the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, he should wait and let the investigation into the accusation against him and the deputy governor finish.
The governor doesn’t want to show any budget anyway, since if he did, he would have done so by now.
“Siminalayi Fubara is a mistake; Rivers State has never been this awful before. Siminalayi Fubara and the deputy governor, Prof. Ngozi Odu, are the only two people in Nigeria who have not yet presented the 2026 appropriation bill. They are the only ones in the country who have not done so.
The Speaker also said that the governor was undermining the legislature. He said that Fubara had bragged about asking the president to stop the Assembly and had called the 10th Rivers Assembly a “toothless bulldog.”
He stated, “I’m sure you won’t find any subnational government in West Africa or Africa that hasn’t put forward the 2026 appropriation bill.”
“Who would think that a state like Rivers wouldn’t have an appropriation bill presented or passed in the 21st century?” The governor could have presented it, but he decided not to.
“And the governor has been bragging that he will always go and meet the president so that he can call us and tell us what to do. He has been telling his fans that this 10th Rivers Assembly is just a toothless bulldog and that we can’t accomplish anything or respect the law.
“This is a sad comment on our democracy.” He said, “Sir Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy are nothing but a threat to democracy. I don’t know what will happen if they stay in office.”
He said that the impeachment attempt was mostly because the budget was not presented. He also said that there had been multiple discussions with President Tinubu and Wike before to try to fix the problem.
The governor has not yet said anything about the situation in public. Daily Trust was also unable to get a response from his government because there is now no information commissioner or spokeswoman.
The APC leaders and Tinubu were asked to step in.
Political experts in the state asked President Tinubu and the national leadership of the APC to step in yesterday. They pointed out that Fubara and the MPs are now both members of the same party.
Comrade David-West Benewarie David said, “This has become an internal party matter.” The governor is the head of the party in the state and should tell the MPs to behave. If he can’t, the APC’s national leadership should step in.
He also said that Wike still has power over the members of the Assembly.
He stated, “I thought the president had solved these problems. They went to Abuja and came back with a peace agreement. All of a sudden, it seems like the peace isn’t peace; it wants to turn into pieces.” In my humble opinion, the Rivers State House of Assembly is made up of APC members, and the governor is an APC member. This means that it is an internal party matter. If the governor is the number one citizen and the leader of the party, it is his responsibility to call the assembly members together as the leader of the party to settle these disagreements.
Omatsogunwa Jerry, another expert, stated that the threat of impeachment didn’t really hurt Fubara.
“This is the last breath of a dying horse.” He said, “These plans don’t scare the governor.”
Dr. Fyneface Dumnamene, the Executive Director of the Advocacy Center, stated, however, that signs pointed to the Assembly being set on getting rid of the governor.
He stated, “If the governor has done things that are grounds for impeachment, no one can stop the Assembly from doing its constitutional duties.” He urged everyone to follow due process.
The presidency hasn’t said anything; the APC, INC, and IYC all say no to impeachment.
Because the president was already seen as having a stake in the Rivers State situation because of his earlier engagement, our correspondent tried numerous times to find out if the presidency planned to step in again.
Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, and Daniel Bwala, the President’s Special Adviser on Policy Communications, did not return phone calls or messages, though.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) national leadership hasn’t said anything about the situation either. Attempts to reach its spokespeople have failed. However, a group of the party in Rivers State, led by Chief Emeka Beke, has rejected the impeachment move, calling it “unacceptable” and warning lawmakers against doing anything that could destabilize the state.
The Beke-led wing of the party said in a statement from its spokesman, Darlington Nwauju, that the legislature is independent but that the impeachment process was wrong.
The statement said that the 2025 federal budget gives state governors the legal ability to spend money within the first six months of a fiscal year.
It told APC members in the Assembly not to let themselves be swayed into making the Rivers State government unstable.
Former PDP spokesman Sydney Tambari also told MPs to “sheathe their swords,” saying that Fubara had made big compromises for the sake of peace and calling the impeachment move an unfortunate turn of events at the start of the year.
The Ijaw National Congress (INC) and the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) also spoke out against the impeachment move and asked the Assembly to let Fubara finish his term.
“This is a time for government, not war,” declared IYC President Dr. Alaye Theophilus.
Groups want Tinubu to fire Wike as minister
Also, a group of APC leaders working together as the APC Leaders Forum (ALF) and the Tinubu/Shettima Solidarity Movement (TSSM) has asked for Wike to be fired as FCT minister because they say he has been disobedient, working against the party, and acting in a way that could undermine national unity.
The groups sent an open letter to President Tinubu on January 7 and sent it to him through the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda. They argued that Wike’s actions were not in line with him staying in the cabinet of an APC-led government.
Members held a peaceful demonstration outside the APC National Secretariat in Abuja yesterday, and the letter was made public. It was signed by Dr. Emeka Okoro, Dr. Adekunle Balogun, Ibrahim Yusuf, and Abdulkareem Isiaka.
The groups said the gathering was part of their efforts to “defend party integrity, democratic values, and the Renewed Hope Agenda” of the Tinubu government.
Their main complaint is that Wike, who is not officially a member of the APC, has been attacking the party’s national leadership for a long time.
They talked about things Wike is said to have said during a visit to the Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State on January 5, 2026, when he is said to have accused the APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, of getting involved in Rivers politics for his own benefit.
The letter said that Wike’s comments, which included a warning that people who interfered in Rivers affairs would “get their fingers burnt,” were threatening and directly insulting to the APC National Working Committee.
The coalition argued that these kinds of comments hurt the party’s leaders’ power and went against the discipline that is expected of a minister in an APC-led administration.
They told President Tinubu to move quickly because keeping Wike in the cabinet could lead to problems for the APC before the 2027 general elections.
How to impeach a governor in Nigeria
Notice of accusations
At least one-third (1/3) of the members of the State House of Assembly must sign a written notification saying that someone has done something very wrong. After then, the Speaker gets the notice.
Giving notice
The Speaker has seven days to give the notice to the Governor. The notice must clearly spell out the precise charges.
Decision to look into
The House votes on whether to look into it within 14 days of getting the notice. At least two-thirds (2/3) of all members must vote in favor of the motion. The process stops right away if it doesn’t work.
Setting up an inquiry panel
The Speaker asks the Chief Judge of the State to form a seven-member panel if the motion passes. Members must be people of undoubted honesty and cannot be politicians or government workers.
The panel is looking into it.
The commission has three months to look at the claims. The Governor can defend himself or herself in person or through counsel. It is necessary to have a fair hearing.
Report from the panel
The panel gives the House its results. The process finishes if no wrongdoing is found. The House moves on to the next level if there is proof of wrongdoing.
Vote to remove for good
At least two-thirds (2/3) of all members of the House must vote in favor of the resolution. The Governor is instantly removed from office after this bill passes.
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