Dare Babalola
The Rivers State House of Assembly has halted the impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the Deputy Governor, Ngozi Odu, following President Bola Tinubu’s intervention.
The House moved the motion to halt the impeachment process at its resumed sitting in Port Harcourt on Thursday.
Recall that the House had earlier initiated impeachment proceedings against Fubara, citing allegations of gross misconduct, particularly financial misappropriation.
The impeachment process was sparked by Fubara’s alleged refusal to present a supplementary budget, as well as his extra-budgetary spending exceeding ₦800 billion without legislative approval.
The Assembly also claimed Fubara violated the terms of a peace accord established through President Tinubu’s intervention, with the governor and his deputy showing autocratic tendencies and lacking commitment to transparent governance.
The impeachment notice was served on Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Nma-Odu, with 26 of the Assembly’s 32 members signing the notice, exceeding the required one-third threshold.
Also a Rivers State High Court issued an interim injunction restraining further action on the impeachment process, with Justice Florence Fiberesima ruling that the Chief Judge should not receive or act on any impeachment-related communication from the Assembly.
