Lawmakers in the Rivers State House of Assembly have alleged that individuals linked to the executive arm of government attempted to obtain a court order to prevent the legislature from carrying out its constitutional functions.
The claim, made as the Federal Capital Territory minister and former state governor Nyesom Wike concluded a tour of the state’s 23 local government areas, centres on an alleged move to secure an ex parte order from a Rivers State high court sitting outside Port Harcourt.
In a statement issued in the state capital on Sunday, the chairman of the House committee on information, petitions and complaints, Enemi George, said the plot was designed to frustrate impeachment proceedings formally initiated last Thursday against the governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his deputy, Ngozi Odu.
The process was launched after the speaker, Martins Amaewhule, read a notice signed by 26 lawmakers accusing the governor of multiple counts of gross misconduct. The allegations include more than ₦800bn in extra-budgetary spending without legislative approval, the withholding of funds due to the Assembly Service Commission, the demolition of the assembly complex, and defiance of Supreme Court rulings affirming legislative autonomy. A separate notice accused the deputy governor of complicity in unconstitutional expenditures.
Amaewhule said the notices would be served on both office holders within seven days, in line with constitutional requirements.
George said any attempt to stop the proceedings through the courts was “dead on arrival”, arguing that it amounted to a subversion of the 1999 constitution. He cited sections 272(3) and 188(10), which bar courts from intervening in legislative impeachment processes and vest jurisdiction over questions relating to the tenure of governors in the federal high court.
“Those behind this move are fully aware of the constitutional provisions and recent court of appeal decisions rejecting similar ex parte orders,” George said, urging the affected office holders to respond to the allegations “item by item” rather than resort to what he described as “subterranean moves”.
The latest confrontation marks a fresh escalation in Rivers State’s protracted political crisis, which stems from the fallout between Fubara and his predecessor, Wike. Two earlier impeachment attempts in 2023 and 2025 were halted following presidential interventions, before President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the state last March.
Fubara, who returned to Port Harcourt after a recent trip abroad, made his first public appearance since the new impeachment move on Sunday, attending a church service to mark the 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day alongside his deputy and senior officials. His administration has so far declined to comment on the allegations.
Accusations have meanwhile resurfaced that Wike is the driving force behind the impeachment push, recalling remarks made during his tour of local government areas in which he described Fubara as a “mistake” he intended to correct in 2027 — language later echoed by the speaker.
Addressing supporters in Obio/Akpor, the final stop of his tour, Wike dismissed criticism of his role in state politics and argued that power was determined by strength and strategic interest, not sentiment. He rejected calls for his removal as minister, insisting such decisions rested solely with the president.
Speculation over another presidential intervention intensified after the lawmakers’ move, with sources indicating that Tinubu had invited both men for talks. On Sunday evening, Wike returned to Abuja, where aides said he was expected to receive the president on his return from abroad, though any meeting on Rivers State remained unconfirmed.
For now, the assembly has signalled it will press ahead. “We remain committed to the constitution and the rule of law,” George said, as Rivers State once again finds itself on the brink of a deepening political showdown.
