Friday, January 9, 2026 - Legislative lawyers operating under the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP) have begun steps to recall 26 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, including Speaker Martin Amaewhule, over the impeachment proceedings launched against Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Earlier, Tori News reported that the Rivers
lawmakers had on Thursday commenced an impeachment process against
Fubara, accusing him of gross misconduct, including financial misappropriation.
ALDRAP disclosed the commencement of the recall process in a
letter addressed to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral
Commission, INEC
In the letter, the lawyers association demanded certified
true copies, CTCs, of the voters register of all the state constituencies in
Rivers State.
The legislative lawyers association, in the letter on
Friday, said several of its members are constituents of the said lawmakers and
as such, it has the legal right to initiate the recall process.
ALDRAP put INEC on notice that it would go to court to press
for the release of the CTCs of the voters registers if the Commission fails to
make them available.
Parts of the letter dated January 8, 2026, and signed by
ALDRAP Secretary, Dr Tonye Clinton Jaja, SCN, read, “Notice of commencement of
recall of Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule, Speaker of the Rivers State House of
Assembly and 25 other legislators of the House of Assembly who signed the
impeachment notice dated 8th January 2026 and request for certified true copies
(CTCs) of the voter register of all the state constituencies of the Rivers
State House of Assembly.
“Contrary to the judgment of February 2025 of the Supreme
Court of Nigeria that enjoined the members of the Rivers State House of
Assembly to work in peaceful harmony with the Governor of Rivers State by
exploring and exhausting amicable methods to resolve conflicts, the members of
the Rivers State Houseof Assembly have once again initiated belligerent
methods.
“Ironically, both the Governor of Rivers State and the said
members of the Rivers State House of Assembly are members of the All
Progressives Congress, APC, and ought to have explored and exhausted internal
dispute resolution mechanisms
“In light of the foregoing, as a public interest organization
of lawyers majority of whom are constituents of all state constituencies of the
Rivers State House of Assembly, we hereby demand the aforementioned certified
true copies (CTC) and put your Commission on notice.”
In a further reaction to the development, ALDRAP declared
that the impeachment notice is dead on arrival because the lawmakers referred
to Governor Fubara as “madam” in the letter addressed to him.
“The letter of notice of impeachment against Governor
Fubara is dead on arrival for two legal reasons: (1) Fundamental flaw of
addressing Governor Fubara as “madam” and (2) the constituents of Rivers State
did not endorse or authorize the lawmakers of Rivers State House of Assembly to
commence impeachment against Governor Fubara,” ALDRAP said.
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