The impeachment storm rocking Rivers State eased on Thursday as the Rivers State House of Assembly suspended proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, following the intervention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Lawmakers resolved to halt the impeachment process during plenary in Port Harcourt, the state capital, after moving a motion to suspend further action on the matter.
The Assembly had earlier, at its first sitting of 2026, initiated impeachment proceedings against the governor and his deputy, citing allegations of gross misconduct.
Among the accusations levelled against Fubara were the demolition of the State House of Assembly complex and the approval of expenditures without legislative authorisation, among other claims.
As part of the constitutional process, the lawmakers had written to the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Simeon Chibuzor Amadi, requesting the constitution of a seven-member panel to investigate the allegations against the governor and his deputy.
However, Justice Amadi declined to constitute the panel, citing a subsisting court injunction restraining further action on the impeachment move.
Thursday’s decision to suspend proceedings signals a temporary de-escalation of the political tension in the state, which had heightened following the impeachment notice.
While details of the President’s intervention were not immediately disclosed, the development is expected to reshape the ongoing power dynamics between the executive and the legislature in Rivers State.
