The Rivers State House of Assembly has issued a notice of “gross misconduct” on Siminalayi Fubara, govenor of the state, and Ngozi Odu, his deputy.
Martins Wachukwu, special assistant on media to Martin Amaewhule, speaker of the Rivers assembly, relayed the development in a statement on Monday.
The “gross misconduct” allegation is the first stage of impeachment proceedings.
The notice was signed by 26 members of the assembly.
“In compliance with Section 188 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), we the undersigned members of the Rivers State House of Assembly hereby forward to you a Notice of Gross Misconduct by the Governor of Rivers State in the performance of the functions of his office,” the letter addressed to the speaker, reads.
“Mr Speaker, we conclude by stating that the Governor has shown that he is not prepared to govern Rivers State in line with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and his oath of office.”
The house also accused the governor of “reckless and unconstitutional expenditure of public funds contrary to Sections 120, 121 (1)(2) and 122 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
Rivers state has been bogged in a political crisis stemming from the power struggle between Fubara and Nyesom Wike, his predecessor and minister of the federal capital territory (FCT).
The rift led to the polarisation of the Rivers assembly.
The crisis took a new twist on February 28, when the supreme court upheld a federal high court ruling barring the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the accountant-general of the federation from releasing Rivers state’s statutory monthly allocations.
The court also nullified the local government elections conducted in the state on October 5, 2024.
In response, Fubara pledged to comply with the apex court’s ruling in an attempt to address the state’s political impasse.
He invited the lawmakers to a meeting, but the legislators shunned the proposed parley, accusing Fubara of not following due process.
Days later, the governor wrote again to the assembly, requesting a new date to present the 2025 appropriation bill.
About 24 hours after the governor issued the letter, the assembly adjourned plenary indefinitely.
At the peak of the crisis in 2023, an attempt to impeach the governor resulted in the demolition of the Rivers house of assembly.
On Saturday, the faction of the assembly loyal to Wike accused the governor of playing to the gallery.
Reported by TheCable
