The Rivers House of Assembly has suspended impeachment proceedings against Siminalayi Fubara, governor of the state, and his deputy, Ngozi Odu.
Lawmakers announced the decision during plenary on Thursday in Port Harcourt.
The move pauses weeks of political tension between the governor and the assembly.
Impeachment Move Began in January
In January, lawmakers loyal to Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), began impeachment proceedings against Fubara and his deputy.
They accused the governor of budgetary impropriety.
They also said he failed to present the 2026 appropriation bill to the assembly.
The lawmakers further alleged unauthorised spending of public funds.
They claimed he withheld statutory allocations meant for the legislature.
Twenty-six lawmakers signed the impeachment notice.
Court Intervention
Soon after, a high court in Port Harcourt issued an interim order. The court restrained the state’s chief judge from receiving or acting on any impeachment notice.
Days later, Simeon Amadi, chief judge of Rivers, declined to set up a judicial panel to investigate the governor.
Amadi said Martin Amaewhule, speaker of the assembly, had appealed the interim orders at the court of appeal in Port Harcourt.
He added that his office received the notices of appeal on January 19 and 20.
Presidential Intervention
As the crisis deepened, President Bola Tinubu met with Fubara and Wike at the presidential villa on February 9.
The meeting aimed to ease the political rift in the state.
Speaking to journalists on February 10, Wike expressed confidence in the president’s intervention.
“This is the second time Mr President is intervening and I believe by the grace of God that this will be the last time Mr President will intervene,” Wike said.
With the impeachment process now suspended, attention shifts to whether the fragile truce in Rivers will last.
