Political tension escalated in Rivers State on Thursday as the 10th Rivers State House of Assembly resolved to bar Governor Siminalayi Fubara from presenting the state’s Mid-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and the 2026 budget, pending the conclusion of a probe against him and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu.

The decision was taken during a plenary session in which lawmakers formally commenced impeachment proceedings against the governor and his deputy over allegations of gross misconduct.

The House adopted a motion sponsored by the Deputy Speaker, Dumle Maol, and another member, mandating an investigation into the governor’s financial and administrative actions.

Central to the allegations is the governor’s alleged failure to submit the Mid-Term Expenditure Framework as required by law, alongside claims of spending public funds without legislative appropriation.

Lawmakers argued that the alleged actions amounted to grave violations of constitutional provisions and undermined the authority of the legislature.

During deliberations, several members accused Governor Fubara of what they described as “recalcitrant disobedience” to President Bola Tinubu, claiming that the President had intervened multiple times to broker peace in the state’s lingering political crisis.

According to the legislators, the governor allegedly failed to honour resolutions reached during these peace efforts, thereby worsening the standoff between the executive and the legislature.

As part of the resolutions reached, the Assembly expressly barred Governor Fubara from presenting the Mid-Term Expenditure Framework and the 2026 budget until the conclusion of the probe into the alleged acts of gross misconduct.

Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule, while addressing the chamber, said the Assembly would not abdicate its constitutional responsibilities.

“We will follow due process to the letter. The law must take its full course,” Amaewhule declared, vowing that the impeachment proceedings would be pursued to their logical conclusion.

The Speaker further cited a Supreme Court judgment which he claimed indicted both the governor and his deputy, insisting that the unfolding crisis should not be framed as a personal conflict between Governor Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

“This is not about personalities. The governor is not fighting any individual; he is fighting against the Constitution,” Amaewhule stated.

Outside the Assembly complex, reactions from residents of Rivers State were swift and sharply divided. While some expressed deep concern about the implications of the Assembly’s action on governance, budgeting, and economic stability, others dismissed the move as “the last kick of a dying horse.”

Critics of the lawmakers alleged that the impeachment move was a desperate attempt to assert relevance after failing to secure direct access to the President to press claims that the governor breached earlier political agreements.

Political analysts say the Assembly’s decision to halt the presentation of the MTEF and 2026 budget marks a decisive turning point in Rivers State’s prolonged power struggle—one that could either redefine the state’s political trajectory or further entrench divisions.

As the probe unfolds, attention remains firmly fixed on both the Assembly and the governor’s camp, with many awaiting the next development in what has become one of the most dramatic political crises in Rivers State’s recent history. (The Guardian)