Supporters of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Wednesday night stormed the streets of Port Harcourt chanting political songs amid renewed hostilities between the governor and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
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In a viral video, the supporters could be heard saying that Wike is not God, urging him to focus on his job as Minister while stating that Fubara remains the Rivers Governor.
“Wike oh, Na Minister you be oh, Na Fubara be governor. Wike you no be God,” they chanted in pidgin English.
The development comes as the Rivers State House of Assembly on Thursday commenced impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara and his Deputy, Prof. Ngozi Nma Odu, over alleged gross misconduct, including failure to present the 2026 budget to the legislature.
The Assembly, led by Speaker Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule, said the move followed what it described as the governor’s persistent refusal to present the state’s appropriation bill and to allow legislative input into budgetary processes. Lawmakers argued that the alleged actions are impeachable offences under the Constitution.
The process was triggered by a motion moved by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Dumle Maol, and seconded by Hon. Silvernus Nwankwo. The Majority Leader, Hon. Major Jack, thereafter read a notice of allegations against Governor Fubara, citing Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution.
According to the notice, the allegations of gross misconduct include the demolition of the Assembly complex, extra-budgetary spending, withholding of funds meant for the Assembly Service Commission, and alleged refusal to comply with Supreme Court judgments on the financial autonomy of the legislature.
Similarly, the Deputy Leader, Hon. Linda Stewart, presented a notice of gross misconduct against the Deputy Governor, Prof. Odu. The allegations include reckless and unconstitutional spending of public funds, obstructing the House from carrying out its constitutional duties, allegedly conniving to allow unauthorised persons to occupy offices without proper legislative screening, seeking budgetary approval from groups other than the Rivers State House of Assembly, and the seizure of salaries and allowances of the Assembly and the Assembly Service Commission.
Commenting on the notices, Speaker Amaewhule said the alleged misconducts largely revolve around budget presentation and spending outside the state’s appropriation law.
“It is important that the process we are about to go through is in line with the provisions of the Constitution,” he said. “The particulars of these misconducts have a lot to do with the presentation of budget and spending outside the appropriation law.”
Amaewhule insisted that the governor had no intention of presenting the 2026 budget, arguing that the Assembly would have received it if he intended to do so. He claimed that Rivers State was yet to have an appropriation bill for 2026, a situation he described as unprecedented.
“Our schools are not functioning the way they should. Our youths are not being employed. Our roads are bad, and our hospitals are not fully functional,” Amaewhule said, adding that lawmakers had reached a point where “enough is enough.”
He also claimed that President Bola Tinubu had made several efforts to intervene, urging the governor to change course, but alleged that such interventions were ignored.
The Assembly subsequently adjourned proceedings on the impeachment process to January 15.
The spokesperson for the Rivers State House of Assembly, Enemi George, said lawmakers will see the impeachment proceedings to the end, dismissing suggestions for a political solution.
Speaking in an interview with Channels Television on Thursday, George dismissed suggestions that the impeachment was a political move designed to pressure the governor.
“Very sincerely, I doubt that because we’ve had one too many political solutions… It demeans, diminishes the institution of the Rivers House of Assembly if you say that everything that we do is because of politics… Right now, what we’re talking about is the law.”
On allegations of repeated misconduct by the governor, George described Fubara as a recidivist, explaining: “A recidivist is somebody who commits the same crime over and over again. He’s punished or forgiven, he comes back, he commits the same crime. So what’s the need for a political solution?”
He further argued that intervention from party leaders would not override the Assembly’s legal mandate.
“The first time the president intervened, he was insulted. They said it was a political solution that was not binding. The second time, the president went through hell to assemble stakeholders, to broker this peace, and then somebody goes back and reneges. You can’t keep breaking the law and expecting the president to come to your rescue,” George said.
The All Progressives Congress in Rivers State rejected the ongoing impeachment process against Governor Fubara and his deputy, warning that it could destabilise the state and damage the party.
In a press statement dated January 8, 2026, titled “Rivers APC Rejects Impeachment Process Against Gov Sim Fubara,” the party said its leadership had been drawn to “the latest unfortunate developments coming out from the chambers of the Rivers State House of Assembly.”
“Our position as at today on this matter is that, we solemnly reject the resort to an impeachment process against our Governor and his deputy,” the statement said.
“It will be totally untenable for our party to keep quiet when an obvious hangover from strifes that occurred within the PDP are allowed to resurface in our great party.”
Addressing claims that the impeachment process is linked to budgetary issues, the party referenced actions taken during the period of emergency rule.
“It is important to say to Rivers people and Nigerians that since the latest threat of impeachment centres on the budget, may we remind ourselves that under the period of emergency rule, a budget was transmitted to the National Assembly by the President and Commander-in-Chief in May 2025 which was approved by the Senate on June 25, 2025, and subsequently by the House of Representatives on July 22, 2025, for a total sum of N1.485 trillion.
“Interestingly, this budget is for one year and should run until August 2026 and if the Governor is comfortable with the composition of the said budget, he may elect not to present any supplementary budget. Besides, the constitution allows for a six-month spending window into the new fiscal year by a state governor.”
The statement, signed by Darlington Nwauju, Rivers State APC spokesperson, called on members of the State Assembly, especially APC members, to immediately discontinue the impeachment process.
The faction of Rivers APC led by Chief Emeka Beke also rejected the impeachment move, stating: “It will be totally untenable for our party to keep quiet when an obvious hangover from strife that occurred within the PDP is allowed to resurface in our great party.”
There was a split in the PDP on the issue. While the Wike-backed faction endorsed the process, the PDP NWC adopted a cautious, watchful stance.
Jungudo Haruna, National Publicity Secretary of the PDP National Caretaker Committee led by Abdulrahman Mohammed and backed by Wike, distanced the party from the embattled governor and framed the impeachment as a constitutional, not political, matter.
“You know Governor Fubara is no longer a member of our party and we are wishing him well for moving to the APC. It is within his constitutional right to do so,” Haruna said.
“The issues of impeachment are clearly not issues that have to do with party politics. There are issues as we had allegations of misappropriation or is it abuse of office? These are issues that he has to go and clear himself.”
In contrast, the PDP NWC led by Kabiru Turaki declined to take a definitive position on the impeachment, signalling restraint amid the unfolding crisis.
Ini Ememobong, National Publicity Secretary of the Turaki-led NWC, told Vanguard that the party leadership was withholding comments for now. “We’re not reacting, we’re monitoring. So let’s just monitor and see what happens,” Ememobong said.
The Ijaw National Congress (INC) urged the Assembly to sheathe its sword in the interest of peace in the state.
INC President, Prof. Benjamin Okaba, said: “This is not a matter of Ijaw Nation. It is about democracy. We call on all lovers of democracy to rise up against this unfortunate development.”
Okaba described what is happening in Rivers State as “a state capture by one individual, who wants to turn Rivers to his personal estate.”
The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) President, Dr. Alaye Theophilus, urged the state Assembly to point out areas where Governor Fubara spent money without the 2025 budgetary provision as alleged on the floor of the House.
“They should allow Fubara to complete his tenure in peace. This is time for governance and not war. Fubara has been under attack for close to three years now for offences he never committed. It is the Rivers people that are losing in the whole of this crisis,” he said.
Theophilus condemned the impeachment process, saying that such an attempt will never see the light of the day. “The governor has not done anything wrong. The young man has brought development to the state.”
He added that the “attitude of the lawmakers is a clear indication that they are disloyal to President Tinubu. They should respect the President and allow him to return to the country.”
Residents of Rivers State decried what they described as growing political instability in the state, warning that the renewed impeachment move against Governor Fubara signals further retrogression and is ill-timed.
The latest development marks the third impeachment attempt against the governor, following earlier moves on October 30, 2023, and March 17, 2025.
A former Special Adviser to then Governor Wike, Opunabo Inko-Tariah, described the development as “quite unfortunate,” blaming the resurgence of political hostilities on what he termed unnecessary power struggles.
“We do not need this now. The people are tired of the constant political crises. This whole saga is not in the interest of Rivers people; it is egocentric and self-serving,” he said.
He urged President Tinubu to intervene by calling the minister to order, warning that what he described as “premature political campaigns disguised as thanksgiving tours” could further destabilise the state.
An entrepreneur and auto mechanic in the state, Mr. Akinwatimi Akinola Joshua, expressed displeasure over the unfolding situation, noting that economic activities had slowed significantly.
“Businesses have slowed down drastically. Nothing is moving. Since the state of emergency, the state has stagnated. The House of Assembly and all political actors should give peace a chance and allow the governor to complete his tenure,” he said.
A trader at Mile One Market, Mrs. Caroline Ibinabo, said it was disheartening that the political class appeared unwilling to allow residents enjoy a period of stability.
National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the party was closely monitoring unfolding political developments in Rivers State and would respond only after a careful assessment of events.
“We’re studying political development in Rivers. Let us study it, see what happens and then take an informed position on the matter,” Abdullahi said.
On December 5, 2025, about 17 lawmakers from the state Assembly defected from the PDP to the APC. On December 9, Governor Fubara also defected to the APC.
The impeachment process came as a shock to many people who thought that joining the ruling APC would shield the governor from such a threat.
Wike had earlier said publicly that if Fubara should win a second term, he would be buried politically, while Fubara on the other hand had been boasting that he remains the political leader of Rivers State politics given his APC card registration number as 001.
This is the third time in a row that the Assembly has attempted to impeach the governor. First was in 2023, then 2025 before the declaration of state of emergency, and now in 2026.
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