The Rivers House of Assembly has called on the state’s chief judge to set up a seven-member panel to investigate allegations of gross misconduct against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu.

The assembly members, who made the call through a unanimous vote during plenary on Friday, vowed to continue with the impeachment process despite Mr Fubara’s alleged blackmail.

“In line with section 188 Sub-section 5, we’ll forward a letter to the chief judge of Rivers state calling on him to immediately set up a seven-member panel to begin investigation of the allegations against His Excellency and deputy governor of Rivers state,” the speaker, Martins Amaewhule, stated.

The development came shortly after the lawmakers addressed a press conference in Port Harcourt, accusing Mr Fubara of intimidating lawmakers.

The lawmakers insisted Mr Fubara lacked the trust required to address the crisis rocking the oil-rich state, accusing him of disobeying the constitution.

The deputy speaker, Dumle Maol, who spoke for the parliament, noted that lawmakers who objected to the impeachment had now aligned with the process.

“Some well-meaning Nigerians have called on us to halt the impeachment process against the governor and his deputy. This morning, 16th January, 2026, we concluded that there is indeed a need to continue with the process.

“This is the decision of all of us, including members who had the opportunity to address the media few days ago and those who have already decided not to proceed, thus changed their decision,” Mr Maol stated.