President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the Rivers State House of Assembly to immediately suspend impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, a dramatic intervention that underscores the depth of Nigeria’s most volatile subnational political crisis.
According to multiple officials familiar with the matter, the president directed the 27 lawmakers who initiated the impeachment to stand down and to seek further guidance from the national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, signaling an attempt by the presidency to prevent the spiraling conflict in the oil-rich state from tipping into open political breakdown.
The impeachment effort, which erupted this week in Port Harcourt, had accused Governor Fubara and his deputy of gross misconduct, including the demolition of the State House of Assembly complex, alleged financial recklessness, and the withholding of funds from the legislature and its service commission. But the move quickly began to unravel, both legally and politically.
The impeachment notice delivered to Mr. Fubara on January 8 was flawed in a striking way: it addressed him as “Madam,” an error lawyers say renders the document invalid. Legal analysts in Port Harcourt argued that because Rivers State has a male governor, no lawful impeachment notice had been served at all.
Behind the scenes, lawmakers who backed the effort were already retreating.
Several legislators told associates that the impeachment was never meant to succeed. Instead, they described it as a tactic to force Governor Fubara into negotiations, including a demand that they be guaranteed automatic tickets to return to the assembly in the 2027 elections.
“The letter was a kite,” one lawmaker said, according to people familiar with the internal discussions. “We flew it to get the governor’s attention.”
The plan collapsed when Rivers State’s chief judge, Justice Simeon Amadi, declined to cooperate, depriving the impeachment of the legal machinery required to proceed. With the courts unwilling to play along and the presidency intervening, the lawmakers quietly began backing away.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that the impeachment notices may already have been withdrawn.
The crisis in Rivers has been driven by an intense political rivalry between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now the powerful minister of the Federal Capital Territory and a close ally of President Tinubu.
Since returning to Port Harcourt over the Christmas period, Mr. Wike has staged rallies across the state in what he calls a “thank-you tour,” openly challenging the authority of the sitting governor.
The tours have often resembled a parallel campaign structure. In several local governments, turnout was thin, including in Bonny, where Mr. Wike reportedly left in anger after a poorly attended rally.
Political analysts say President Tinubu’s intervention reflects concern that Rivers, one of Nigeria’s most strategically important states, was sliding toward ungovernability.
“The message from Abuja is clear,” said a senior political analyst in Lagos. “No more destabilization. The president wants this fight to stop.”
For now, Governor Fubara remains in office, strengthened by presidential backing and the legal collapse of the impeachment. But few in Rivers believe the conflict is over.
