A RIVERS State High Court has been asked to issue an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the Rivers State House of Assembly from taking further steps in the impeachment process commenced against Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

The Incorporated Trustees of the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP) is seeking the order in a suit numbered RHC/427/CS/2026, filed on February 10, 2026, by their lawyer, S. O Abang.

The Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Rivers State, Speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly, Clerk of the Assembly, Victor Oko-Jumbo, member representing Bonny State Constituency, Adolphus Timothy, representing Opobo/Nkoro State Constituency, Judge of Rivers State, Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), were listed as the respondents in the suit.

Besides seeking an order restraining the House from proceeding with the impeachment process, the court was also asked to issue an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the Chief Judge of Rivers State from constituting or inaugurating any impeachment panel pursuant to the “defective” impeachment notice dated January 8, 2026, pending the determination of the suit.

The plaintiff also asked the court to enjoin the respondents from interfering with the governor’s constitutional functions.

MEANWHILE, the political crisis rocking the state appears far from over as stakeholders and loyalists of the Deputy Governor, Ngozi Odu, have raised the alarm over what they describe as her continued marginalisation in the administration of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

The development comes against the backdrop of Fubara’s decision to dissolve the state executive council after a reconciliation meeting convened by President Bola Tinubu to resolve the protracted feud between him and his estranged political ally, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

Reacting to the cabinet shake-up, supporters of the deputy governor under the Progressives for the Oppressed Group alleged that Odu has been deliberately excluded from governance since the administration took office in 2023.

They warned that failure to correct the imbalance could further inflame the already volatile political atmosphere in the state. According to the group, the deputy governor has not been allowed to nominate a single commissioner, special adviser, senior special adviser, board member, or councillor.

They further claimed that her request to nominate the chairman of her Local Council Area was rejected without explanation, describing the action as the last straw.

Director of Public Relations of the group, Japhet Amadi, said the deputy governor had endured the situation quietly in the interest of party unity and stability.

“She has remained loyal and patient despite being sidelined from key decisions and appointments. Even her only request, to nominate her council chairman, was turned down,” Amadi said.

The stakeholders also alleged that Odu has been excluded from critical government meetings, denied statutory supervisory roles traditionally assigned to deputy governors in Rivers State, and kept out of governance activities in her own locality, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni.