President Tinubu(middle) Wike (right) and Fubara left after a meeting with the president at Aso Villa
THE Rivers State House of Assembly has halted impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu.
The decision was made during Thursday’s sitting, shortly after the House concluded a Committee of the Whole.
The impeachment process had been delayed due to legal and political challenges, and further action was put on hold pending the outcome of ongoing court cases and consultations.
Speaker of the Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, told lawmakers at the plenary that the decision followed a high-level meeting at the Presidential Villa.
The meeting involved him, Governor Fubara, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and President Bola Tinubu.
According to the Speaker, part of the resolution reached at the meeting was that the governor would withdraw all court cases filed against the Assembly, while the lawmakers, in turn, would halt the impeachment process as a mark of respect for the President’s intervention.
He further disclosed that all lawsuits involving the governor, his deputy, and the Assembly had now been withdrawn.
“In response to their actions, yesterday we instructed our lawyers to also withdraw the matter we filed at the Court of Appeal, setting the way for the state to move forward. Having reported all of these, members agreed to halt the impeachment process against the governor and deputy governle said.
House Speaker Amaewhule
During plenary, the Deputy Speaker, Dumle Maol, urged members to honour the President’s efforts by formally rescinding both the impeachment notice and pending legal actions.
“It is my position that we should respect the office of the President and halt the impeachment proceedings against the governor and deputy governor,” the deputy speaker said.
The Speaker subsequently put the matter to a vote, and the House unanimously resolved to withdraw the impeachment proceedings.
Lawmakers expressed the expectation that the governor and his deputy would henceforth conduct their affairs strictly in line with constitutional provisions and avoid actions that could trigger further political conflict.
This marks the third time the Rivers Assembly has stepped back from impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara, raising fresh hopes that the latest development could signal a lasting political truce between the executive and legislative arms of government in the state.
Impeachment Proceedings
The state assembly members, in January, initiated impeachment proceedings against the governor and his deputy over allegations of gross misconduct.
The accusations included demolishing the Assembly complex, engaging in extra-budgetary spending, withholding funds meant for the Assembly Service Commission and disobeying a Supreme Court ruling on the legislature’s financial autonomy.
Twenty-six lawmakers signed the notice, which was to be forwarded to the governor. Deputy Leader Linda Stewart also submitted allegations against Odu, accusing her of unconstitutional expenditure, obstructing the Assembly’s work, approving budgets through unauthorised channels and withholding salaries and allowances.
The impeachment push, which began in early January 2026, soon encountered judicial obstacles.
Rivers State Chief Judge, Simeon Chibuzor-Amadi, declined the Assembly’s request to constitute the constitutionally required seven-member investigative panel, citing a subsisting interim injunction issued by the Rivers State High Court
The restraining order, granted on January 16, 2026, by Justice Florence A. Fiberesima, barred the Chief Judge, the Speaker and the Clerk from taking further steps on the impeachment, following suits filed by the governor and his deputy challenging the legality of the process.
Meanwhile, Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) also rejected the impeachment process, describing the move as “destabilising and unnecessary.” The move also drew reactions from several political quarters and Nigerians.
Brokered Peace
Last week, the President was reported to have engaged in a closed-door meeting at the Presidential Villa with Fubara and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, the governor’s political godfather. Fubara was said to have also accompanied Wike to his residence in Guzape, Abuja.
Wike later confirmed the meeting with Fubara, and disclosed that it was initiated by the President in a renewed effort to resolve the political crisis in Rivers State.
According to him, the meeting was held on February 9. Wike said the President stepped in to broker peace between the governor and the state lawmakers.
Expressing appreciation for Tinubu’s intervention, Wike voiced optimism that the move would bring lasting peace. He noted that it was the second time the President had intervened in the dispute and expressed “hope it would be the last.”
The talks came shortly after a third impeachment notice was issued against Fubara by lawmakers believed to be loyal to Wike.
Precedence
Politically, the crisis revived long-standing tensions in the state.
This marks the second impeachment attempt against Fubara and Odu, after a similar move in March 2025 triggered by the rift between the governor and his predecessor, Wike.
That earlier standoff escalated into a major political crisis that prompted President Tinubu to declare a state of emergency, suspend the governor, deputy governor and lawmakers for six months, and appoint Ibokette Ibas as sole administrator
Fubara eventually returned to office after a political reconciliation involving him, Wike and legislators.
The political climate shifted further in December when Fubara defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the platform on which he was elected in 2023, to the ruling party
Culled from ChannelsTV
