Fresh hurdle for Rivers impeachment as Assembly again fails to sit

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The impeachment attempt against Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara hit another snag on Thursday as the State House of Assembly failed to reconvene for plenary as scheduled.

The House, under the leadership of Speaker Martin Amaewhule, had last week opened impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, during its first sitting of 2026. The lawmakers accused the executive of gross misconduct, including the demolition of the Assembly complex, spending outside budgetary approvals and other alleged constitutional breaches, before adjourning sitting to January 15, 2026.

However, checks by our correspondent at the conference hall of the Assembly’s legislative quarters along Aba Road, the temporary venue for plenary, showed no sign of legislative activity as of noon on Thursday. Lawmakers were absent and there were no indications that the House would resume sitting.

The Assembly has yet to offer any explanation for its failure to reconvene, nor has it announced a fresh date for plenary.

Efforts to reach the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Petitions and Complaints, Eneme George, for comments were unsuccessful, as calls and messages sent to his phone were not returned as of the time of filing this report.

The stalled sitting comes amid rising internal pressure to halt the impeachment process. Four lawmakers have now publicly appealed to their colleagues to withdraw the impeachment notice served on the governor and his deputy on January 8.

On Wednesday, Barile Nwakoh, who represents Khana Constituency I, and Emilia Amadi of Obio/Akpor Constituency II, joined two other lawmakers who had earlier urged the House to suspend the impeachment and seek alternative avenues for resolving the political impasse in the state.

Although the dissenting lawmakers admitted that the governor and his deputy may have violated certain constitutional provisions, they said their appeal was driven by interventions from respected elders and leaders within and outside Rivers State.

Earlier in the week, the Minority Leader of the House, Sylvanus Nwankwo, representing Omuma State Constituency, also called for restraint during a press briefing in Port Harcourt.

“We are appealing to our colleagues to temper justice with mercy and to explore how this matter can be resolved without resorting to impeachment,” Nwankwo said, adding that appeals from prominent stakeholders informed the intervention.

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