THE Rivers State House of Assembly today commenced an impeachment process against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy Professor Ngozi Odu by serving them notices of alleged misconduct.
The lawmakers, who only last Friday adjourned sitting indefinitely, reconvened today and claimed the action was in line with the Nigerian Constitution.
“In compliance with Section 188 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and other extant laws, we the undersigned members of the Rivers State House of Assembly hereby forward to you a Notice of Gross Misconduct by the Deputy Governor of Rivers State in the performance of the functions of her office,” the notice read.
Eighteen-Eleven Media reports that Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution outlines the first step of removing a governor and/or his deputy as submission of a written document outlining allegations of gross misconduct against him/her.
Recall that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike recently sparked controversy when he declared that Governor Fubara can be impeached if he has committed an impeachable offence. Wike made this statement during a media parley, emphasizing that impeachment was a constitutional provision and not a criminal offence.
Furthermore, during his visit to Abalama on Saturday, Wike boastfully claimed that Fubara has already lost two significant battles and hinted that more losses are on the horizon. This statement has been perceived as a threat and has heightened tensions between Wike and Fubara.
Eighteen-Eleven Media