Rivers assembly says chief judge received request to probe Fubara despite court order

The Rivers State House of Assembly has said the Chief Judge of the state, Simeon Chibuzor-Amadi, received a request from the lawmakers to probe Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngọzi Odu.

The spokesperson of the Assembly, Enemi George, disclosed this in a statement on Friday night, shortly after a court order stopping the impeachment move became public.

PREMIUM TIMES reported earlier on Friday that a Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt, issued an interim injunction restraining the chief judge and the state assembly from going ahead with the impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara and Mrs Odu, a professor.

The House had, in two separate letters, asked Mr Chibuzor-Amadi to set up a seven-member panel to investigate allegations of gross misconduct against the governor and his deputy.

Received and acknowledged

In the Friday night statement, Mr George, who represents Asari-Toru 2 State Constituency, said the chief judge has “received and acknowledged” the request to investigate the allegations of gross misconduct against Mr Fubara and his deputy.

The spokesperson said the assembly mandated its Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, to forward the requests to the chief judge after the House resolved that the governor and his deputy should be investigated.

“It is important to inform the good people of Rivers State that Mr Speaker has already complied with the Constitution and letters sent by him to the chief judge have been received and acknowledged,” he said.

“Every step going forward, what can happen or what cannot happen is clearly stated in Section 188 of the Constitution.”

Background

On 8 January, Rivers State House of Assembly, began impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara and his Deputy, Mrs Odu, over alleged gross misconduct.

The latest was the third attempt by the lawmakers to impeach the Rivers governor since he was elected into office in 2023.

The impeachment move came shortly after the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, accused the governor of reneging on the terms of a peace deal brokered by President Bola Tinubu in June last year.

A faction of the All Progressives Congress which is aligned with Mr Fubara immediately rejected the impeachment plot against the governor, calling for political resolution of the crisis.

The call appeared to have yielded results when four lawmakers withdrew from the impeachment move against Governor Fubara.

On 15 January, the assembly failed to reconvene despite earlier shifting its sitting until the day. This fuelled speculations the lawmakers might drop the impeachment move.

READ ALSO: Court stops impeachment move against Fubara, deputy

However, on 16 January, the lawmakers announced that the impeachment process would go on as earlier planned. Even the four lawmakers, who earlier withdrew their support for the impeachment move, have again expressed their support for it.

The assembly subsequently requested the chief judge to set up a panel to investigate the allegations of gross misconduct against the governor and his deputy.

But hours later, the Rivers high court issued the order which restrained the assembly and the chief judge from proceeding with the impeachment process against Rivers governor and his deputy.