Impeachment: Rivers Assembly Directs Chief Judge to Form Probe Panel

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The Rivers State House of Assembly has reaffirmed that the impeachment process against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu, will proceed without interruption.

During its plenary session on Friday, the lawmakers unanimously passed a resolution to escalate the allegations of gross misconduct levelled against the governor and his deputy to the next stage of inquiry.

Presided over by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, the Assembly agreed that the accusations warranted a full investigation and subsequently directed the Chief Judge of Rivers State to constitute a panel to examine the claims.

“This voting clearly reflects the decision of the House,” Speaker Amaewhule announced as he formally instructed the Chief Judge to set up the investigative panel.

Earlier the same day, four lawmakers who had initially withdrawn from the impeachment process reversed their stance during a press briefing. They accused Governor Fubara of violating provisions of the 1999 Constitution and argued that the legislature had been left with no choice but to invoke its constitutional powers.

The lawmakers further alleged that the governor was engaged in acts of blackmail and lacked the sincerity required to resolve the ongoing political crisis. According to them, both Fubara and his deputy had demonstrated through their actions that they were not committed to any genuine peace efforts but were instead attempting to pressure the Assembly into halting the impeachment process while persisting in what they described as acts of impunity.

They concluded that, based on these developments, the impeachment proceedings must continue as scheduled.