The Rivers State House of Assembly has formally activated the constitutional process that could remove Governor Siminalayi Fubara from office, deepening the political crisis that has trailed the state for more than a year.

At plenary on Thursday, lawmakers served a notice of alleged gross misconduct on the governor and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, invoking Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution. The move signals a renewed push by the Assembly to hold the executive to account, barely months after a similar impeachment attempt plunged the oil-producing state into emergency rule.

Reading the notice on the floor of the House, the Majority Leader, Major Jack, outlined seven allegations against Fubara, including the demolition of the Assembly complex, extra-budgetary spending, withholding funds due to the Assembly Service Commission and refusal to comply with a Supreme Court ruling on the legislature’s financial autonomy. The notice was signed by 26 lawmakers.

Speaker Martins Amaewhule said the process would now follow constitutional timelines. “I will ensure that this letter is forwarded to His Excellency Siminalayi Fubara, Governor of Rivers State, within seven days,” he told the House.

Moments later, the deputy leader, Linda Stewart, laid a separate notice against Deputy Governor Odu, accusing her of reckless and unconstitutional spending, obstructing the Assembly from carrying out its duties and facilitating the occupation of offices by unauthorised persons. Other allegations include bypassing the Assembly for budget approvals and the seizure of salaries and allowances due to the legislature and its service commission.

Thursday’s development marks the second impeachment move against Fubara and Odu in less than a year. In March 2025, lawmakers initiated a similar process amid an intense power struggle that followed the governor’s fallout with his predecessor, Nyesom Wike. The crisis prompted President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency, suspending the governor, his deputy and the Assembly for six months.

Announcing the decision at the time, Tinubu said the action was “required by section 305(5) of the 1999 Constitution as amended,” adding: “By this declaration, the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu and all elected members of the House of Assembly of Rivers State are hereby suspended for an initial period of six months.”

Fubara returned to office after the suspension following a reconciliation brokered between him, Wike—now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory—and the lawmakers. However, the fragile truce has since unravelled.

In December, the governor defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the ruling All Progressives Congress, a move that reshaped the state’s political alignments. “We cannot support the President if we don’t fully identify with him, not backyard support,” Fubara said while announcing his defection. “So, we have taken that decision today… we are moving to APC.”

With the impeachment process now formally triggered again, the Rivers political crisis appears set for another defining confrontation between the executive and the legislature.