Rivers Crisis: Assembly Shelves Sitting Amid Alleged Plot Against Speaker
The Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, failed to resume plenary on Thursday, one week after adjourning its last sitting, amid rumours of a plot to impeach the Speaker.
The Assembly had, at its sitting last Thursday, commenced impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, over alleged gross misconduct. The lawmakers cited the demolition of the Assembly complex and expenditure without legislative approval, among other issues, as grounds for the impeachment move.
Following the decision, the Clerk of the Assembly was directed to serve impeachment notices on the governor, granting him seven days to respond to the allegations. The House subsequently adjourned till Thursday, January 15, 2026.
However, political tensions heightened earlier in the week as four lawmakers formally withdrew from the impeachment process between Monday and Wednesday, urging an amicable resolution of the crisis.
Despite expectations that plenary would reconvene on Thursday, the Assembly did not sit. The House, which currently meets at the conference hall of its legislative quarters along Aba Road, Port Harcourt, remained inactive, with no official explanation or indication of when lawmakers would reconvene.
Attempts to contact the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Petitions and Complaints, Dr Eneme George, were unsuccessful as he did not respond to calls or messages as of the time of filing this report.
A senior government official, who spoke anonymously, alleged that there were moves to impeach the Speaker during Thursday’s anticipated sitting, prompting Amaewhule to avoid reconvening the House. The official described the unfolding events as dramatic and warned that the political struggle within the Assembly was far from over.
Reacting to the situation, a former federal lawmaker and ex-Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Chief Ogbonna Nwuke, said recent developments suggested the Assembly was beginning to reconsider its position following interventions from within and outside the legislature.
Nwuke stressed the need for reconciliation and cooperation between the executive and legislative arms in the interest of peace and development in the state. He noted that the withdrawal of four lawmakers from the impeachment process had raised expectations that the crisis could be resolved politically.
Earlier in the week, Minority Leader Sylvanus Nwankwo and Peter Abbey of Degema Constituency publicly withdrew their support for the impeachment and called for a peaceful resolution. Two female lawmakers, Barile Nwakoh and Emilia Amadi, also appealed to their colleagues to halt the impeachment proceedings and pursue dialogue.
While the lawmakers acknowledged interventions by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, they attributed the crisis to alleged constitutional breaches by the governor and his deputy, urging adherence to agreed terms and constitutional provisions.
Meanwhile, several groups, including the Pan Niger Delta Forum and the Rivers State Elders and Leaders Forum, have stepped in, setting up committees aimed at resolving the rift between Wike and Governor Fubara and restoring stability in the state.
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