The political temperature in Rivers State cooled on Wednesday as the Rivers State House of Assembly formally halted impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu.
The decision was reached during the Assembly’s resumed plenary in Port Harcourt on February 19, signaling a dramatic pause in the escalating power struggle that has gripped the oil-rich state in recent months.
The impeachment process, which had been initiated in January, accused Governor Fubara and Deputy Governor Odu of gross misconduct. Lawmakers, largely believed to be loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, had served a notice of impeachment amid a deepening rift between the governor and his predecessor.
However, Wednesday’s motion to suspend the proceedings marks a significant shift in tone, coming barely a week after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reportedly intervened in the lingering political impasse between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Wike.
Although details of the President’s intervention were not made public, sources within political circles suggest high-level consultations aimed at preventing a full-blown constitutional crisis in the state.
The Assembly did not provide extensive explanations during plenary but resolved to put the impeachment process on hold, effectively granting the embattled governor and his deputy a temporary reprieve.
The suspension may open a window for reconciliation talks between the warring factions, though skepticism remains over the durability of any truce.
Rivers State has witnessed months of political turbulence stemming from the power tussle between Fubara and Wike, a development that has sharply divided the state’s political structure and heightened concerns about governance stability.
