Friday, January 16, 2026 - The Rivers State House of Assembly on Thursday failed to reconvene, one week after adjourning a sitting in which impeachment proceedings were initiated against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, raising fresh doubts over the impeachment move.
The conference hall of the Assembly’s legislative quarters
along Aba Road, where lawmakers currently sit following the demolition of the
main chamber, showed no sign of activity today, January 15, according to
reports.
No official explanation was given for the failure to resume,
and no new date was announced for continuation of proceedings.
At its first sitting of 2026 last week, the House commenced
impeachment proceedings against the governor and his deputy over alleged gross
misconduct, including the demolition of the Assembly complex and spending state
funds without legislative approval. The sitting was adjourned to January 15,
but lawmakers did not return as scheduled, creating uncertainty around the fate
of the impeachment process.
The stalled sitting comes amid a prolonged power struggle
between the executive and legislative arms of government in the oil-rich state.
The crisis is rooted in the rift between Governor Fubara and his predecessor,
now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. The feud has
repeatedly disrupted governance in Rivers State and split the House into rival
factions. This marks the third attempt to impeach Governor Fubara in less than
three years.
Four of the 26 lawmakers who initially signed the impeachment
notice have since withdrawn their support and are now calling for an amicable
resolution of the political crisis. Political observers see their withdrawal as
an early indication of cracks within what was once a unified political
structure aligned with the former governor.
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