Rivers Assembly crisis escalated on Thursday after the Rivers State House of Assembly failed to resume plenary, fuelling speculation of an internal plot against Speaker Martin Amaewhule.
The lawmakers were expected to reconvene exactly one week after adjourning sittings, following the launch of impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu. Instead, the Assembly remained silent and inactive, with no official explanation offered.
The last sitting, held a week earlier, saw the Amaewhule-led House accuse the governor and his deputy of gross misconduct. Allegations included the demolition of the Assembly complex and spending public funds without legislative approval. Lawmakers directed the Clerk to serve an impeachment notice on the governor, granting him seven days to respond, before adjourning to January 15, 2026.
However, the political momentum shifted in the days that followed. Between Monday and Wednesday, four lawmakers formally withdrew from the impeachment process, urging dialogue and reconciliation instead of confrontation. Their withdrawal raised doubts about the viability of the impeachment effort.
On Thursday, the Assembly complex at the conference hall of the legislative quarters along Aba Road, Port Harcourt, showed no signs of activity. Attempts to get clarification from the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Petitions and Complaints, Dr. Eneme George, were unsuccessful, as calls and messages went unanswered.
Behind the scenes, tensions appeared to be brewing. A senior government official, speaking anonymously, alleged that rumours of an impeachment plot against Speaker Amaewhule may have influenced the failure to sit. He mocked the unfolding drama, describing the lawmakers’ actions as theatrical and warning that political roles could quickly reverse.
Former federal lawmaker and ex-Rivers Commissioner for Information, Chief Ogbonna Nwuke, said developments after the last sitting suggested the House was beginning to soften. He stressed that peace, cooperation, and synergy between the executive and legislature were critical for stability and development in Rivers State.
Calls for reconciliation have also come from within the Assembly, elders’ groups, and regional stakeholders, all pushing for a political solution to the prolonged standoff between Governor Fubara and his estranged predecessor, Nyesom Wike.
As uncertainty lingers, attention now turns to whether the House will reconvene or remain stalled amid deepening divisions.
