Legislative lawyers under the umbrella of the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP) have initiated steps to recall 26 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, including the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule, following the impeachment proceedings commenced against Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The move comes after the lawmakers, on Thursday, began impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara, accusing him of gross misconduct and alleged financial misappropriation.
ALDRAP disclosed that it has formally written to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), notifying the Commission of the commencement of the recall process. In the letter, the association demanded the release of certified true copies (CTCs) of the voters’ registers for all state constituencies in Rivers State.
According to the lawyers’ association, several of its members are constituents of the affected lawmakers, giving them the constitutional right to initiate a recall process.
In the letter dated January 8, 2026, and signed by ALDRAP Secretary, Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja, SCN, the group warned that it would approach the courts should INEC fail to release the requested documents.
The letter, obtained by DAILY POST on Friday, was titled: “Notice of commencement of recall of Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly and 25 other legislators of the House of Assembly who signed the impeachment notice dated 8th January 2026, and request for certified true copies (CTCs) of the voter register of all the state constituencies of the Rivers State House of Assembly.”
ALDRAP accused the lawmakers of acting in violation of a February 2025 Supreme Court judgment, which it said advised both the Rivers State House of Assembly and the governor to pursue peaceful and amicable means of resolving their differences.
The association described the impeachment move as “belligerent” and unnecessary, noting that both the governor and the lawmakers are members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and should have exhausted internal party dispute-resolution mechanisms.
“In light of the foregoing, as a public interest organisation of lawyers, the majority of whom are constituents of all state constituencies of the Rivers State House of Assembly, we hereby demand the aforementioned certified true copies and put your Commission on notice,” the letter stated.
Reacting further, ALDRAP declared that the impeachment notice against Governor Fubara was “dead on arrival,” citing what it described as fundamental legal flaws.
According to the group, the impeachment letter was fatally defective because it referred to the governor as “madam,” and because the lawmakers allegedly lacked the mandate of their constituents to commence impeachment proceedings.
“The letter of notice of impeachment against Governor Fubara is dead on arrival for two legal reasons: first, the fundamental flaw of addressing Governor Fubara as ‘madam,’ and second, the fact that the constituents of Rivers State did not endorse or authorise the lawmakers to commence impeachment against the governor,” ALDRAP stated.
As of the time of filing this report, INEC had not reacted publicly to the letter.
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