By Eteteonline
Following FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s accusation that Governor Siminalayi Fubara had broken the provisions of the peace agreement mediated by President Bola Tinubu, there has been political unrest in Rivers State.
Political tensions in the state increased on Thursday, January 8, 2026, as the 10th Rivers State House of Assembly decided to prevent Governor Fubara from delivering the 2026 budget until the investigation into him and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu, was completed.
The decision was made during a plenary session where impeachment proceedings were commenced against the governor and his deputy were due to accusations of gross misconduct.
The notice of accusations and serious wrongdoing against Fubara was read aloud by Major Jack, the majority leader.
The notice was signed by twenty-six Assembly members, who claimed it violated the Nigerian Constitution.
The House passed a motion calling for an examination of the governor’s financial and administrative practices, which was supported by Dumle Maol, the Deputy Speaker, and another member.
The governor’s alleged refusal to submit the Mid-Term Expenditure Framework as required by law, together with accusations of spending public monies without legislative appropriation, are at the heart of the accusations.
Lawmakers claimed that the alleged acts compromised the legislature’s authority and amounted to serious constitutional infractions.
Several members accused Governor Fubara of recalcitrant disobedience to President Bola Tinubu during the debates, arguing that the President had repeatedly stepped in to mediate a settlement in the state’s ongoing political issue.
The parliamentarians claim that the governor worsened the impasse between the executive and the legislature by failing to uphold resolutions reached during these peace initiatives.
Speaking to the assembly, Speaker of the House Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule declared that the Assembly would not renounce its constitutional obligations.
“We will follow due process to the letter. The law must take its full course,” Amaewhule said, promising to see the impeachment process through to its natural end.
The Speaker insisted that the developing issue should not be presented as a personal dispute between Governor Fubara and Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, and further referenced a Supreme Court ruling that he said indicted both the governor and his deputy.
“This is not about personalities. The governor is not fighting any individual; he is fighting against the Constitution,” Amaewhule said.
Since Mr. Fubara took office as state governor in 2023, the Rivers Assembly has made three attempts to remove him from office.
Fubara was reinstated as governor after a six-month suspension following a mediation by President Bola Tinubu.
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