The Rivers State House of Assembly on Friday escalated the impeachment process against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, requesting the Chief Judge of the state to constitute a panel to investigate allegations of gross misconduct against them.

The resolution was adopted during plenary after 25 lawmakers voted in support of invoking Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to commence a formal probe.

The legislators accused the governor and his deputy of several infractions, including failure to present the 2026 Appropriation Bill to the House, unauthorised expenditure of public funds, withholding statutory allocations to the legislature and other actions considered inimical to good governance.

Speaker Martins Amaewhule, who presided over the session, directed the Clerk of the Assembly to immediately transmit the resolution to the Chief Judge for the constitution of a seven-man investigative panel within the constitutional timeframe.

The latest development represents a critical stage in the impeachment process earlier initiated on January 8, when the Assembly served notices of allegations on Fubara and Odu.

The process was triggered after Majority Leader Major Jack presented charges of gross misconduct against the governor, a document said to have been endorsed by 26 members of the House.

Most of the lawmakers are believed to be loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, who has been at loggerheads with Fubara and has openly opposed his re-election bid.

Wike had accused the governor of violating the political peace accord brokered before President Bola Tinubu lifted the emergency measures imposed on the state.

Political observers say the unfolding crisis may further heighten tensions in Rivers State as both camps mobilise support ahead of the next phase of the constitutional process.