Port Harcourt—The political temperature in the oil-rich state climbed several notches on Thursday as the Rivers State House of Assembly formally wrote to the Chief Judge of Rivers State, demanding the constitution of a seven-man judicial panel to probe allegations of gross misconduct leveled against Governor Siminalaye Fubara, GSSRS.
In a letter that has now sent shockwaves through Government House and the wider political landscape, the lawmakers invoked relevant constitutional provisions, requesting an independent panel to investigate claims they say warrant urgent judicial scrutiny. The move effectively fires the starting gun on a process that could redefine the balance of power in Rivers politics.
Assembly sources describe the action as “procedural, deliberate and constitutional,” insisting that the request is not a verdict but a gateway to due process. “This is about accountability and the rule of law,” a senior legislator said, stressing that the panel—once constituted—will determine whether the allegations have substance or should be laid to rest.
Across Port Harcourt, reactions poured in thick and fast. Supporters of the governor dismissed the development as a political ambush, warning against “legislative overreach,” while critics hailed it as a bold assertion of legislative authority in a democracy too often accused of looking the other way.
Under constitutional practice, the Chief Judge is expected to appoint a seven-member panel of “persons of unquestionable integrity” to investigate the allegations and submit findings to the Assembly. Should the panel find the accusations proven, the House may proceed further; if not, the matter would collapse at that stage.
For now, Rivers State stands at a familiar crossroads—where law, politics and power collide. As the impeachment clock begins to tick, all eyes remain fixed on the judiciary’s next move, a decision that could either cool the political furnace or ignite it further in Nigeria’s most combustible state.
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