The Rivers State House of Assembly has officially halted impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu.
The decision was reached during a resumed plenary session in Port Harcourt on Thursday, February 19, 2026, when lawmakers moved and adopted a motion to discontinue the process.
Rivers State has faced prolonged political instability since the fallout between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. Wike was instrumental in Fubara’s emergence as governor in 2023.
The crisis escalated with the polarisation of the state legislature, the emergence of parallel political structures, and repeated threats of impeachment against the governor.
In January 2026, the Assembly initiated impeachment proceedings against Fubara and his deputy, citing alleged gross misconduct, including the demolition of the state Assembly complex and unauthorised spending, among other charges.
The political standoff was later de-escalated following a peace meeting convened by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Wike subsequently expressed optimism that the prolonged rift between the executive and legislature would be permanently resolved due to the President’s intervention.
In a related development, Governor Fubara, while receiving the 2025 Man of the Year award from New Telegraph in Lagos, publicly dedicated the honour to Wike.
“I do not care how you interpret it or misinterpret it. I also dedicate this award to somebody who discovered me, not minding the situation — the honourable minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike,” he stated.
Earlier, on Thursday, February 12, 2026, Fubara dissolved the state executive council and forwarded a fresh list of commissioner nominees to the Assembly for screening and confirmation.
The halt in impeachment proceedings is seen as a significant step toward political stability in Rivers State, though questions remain about the long-term durability of the truce and whether Governor Fubara will receive Wike’s backing for a second term in 2027.
