A legal practitioner and public affairs analyst, Liborous Oshoma, has said that addressing Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, as “madam” in an impeachment notice could provide grounds for a legal challenge.

Oshoma made the remark on Saturday while responding to questions during an interview on Arise Television.

According to him, impeachment proceedings are serious constitutional processes that must strictly follow laid-down legal requirements, including proper service of notice on the affected office holder.

He explained that although referring to the governor as “madam” may appear to be a clerical error, it could still be relied upon in court as part of a challenge to the validity of the notice.

“If Fubara is addressed as ‘madam’, it might be a clerical error, but it could also become a ground for challenge,” Oshoma said.

He further stressed that the impeachment notice must be served personally on the governor, noting that while this is not expressly stated in the Constitution, judicial precedents have consistently required personal service in such originating processes.

Oshoma added that once the notice is properly served, the governor has a 14-day window to respond. He noted that whether or not the governor responds within that period, the House of Assembly still retains the power to proceed and vote on whether the allegations should be investigated.