Following the recent Supreme Court verdict, the Rivers State House of Assembly appears to be gearing up for an impeachment move against Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
This development comes as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, declared that the governor should be removed if found guilty of an impeachable offense.
“Politics is not child’s play. If he has done something to be impeached, let them impeach him. It’s not a criminal offense,” Wike stated during a live media chat.
Amidst growing political unrest in the state, the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers, Tony Okocha, has called on Governor Fubara to either resign or face impeachment.
Okocha made this declaration while dismissing the governor’s recent invitation to the 27 lawmakers for a meeting as a ‘Greek gift.’
However, opposition to the impeachment move has continued to mount, with the Ijaw National Congress (INC) issuing a stern warning against any attempt to remove the governor.
The INC President, Prof. Benjamin Okaba, condemned the apex court’s ruling on the Rivers political crisis, arguing that it failed to acknowledge the historical and political contributions of the Ijaw people to the governance of the state.
He cautioned that any effort to undermine Fubara’s office would have dire consequences for national peace and economic stability, particularly in the oil-rich Niger Delta region.
Similarly, a pro-Fubara group, Supreme Council for Sim Worldwide, has warned that any move to impeach the governor could lead to unrest in the state. The group’s leader, Esezi Rukani, cautioned that the state might descend into chaos should lawmakers proceed with the impeachment process.
“We all know the process of impeachment. Before it even starts, the state will boil because the governor is a man of the masses.
He might not act, but the people who voted for him will,” Rukani warned.
PDP Rules Out Impeachment
Despite the growing speculations, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has ruled out the possibility of Governor Fubara’s impeachment.
According to Punch , the PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, dismissed the impeachment threats, insisting that the lawmakers lack the constitutional backing to remove the governor without federal support.
“Amaewhule does not have the right to impeach the governor. He has the right to initiate the process, but he must go to the Chief Judge, who will then set up a seven-man committee to review the allegations by the House of Assembly and make the pronouncement before it goes back to the House,” Osadolor explained.
He added that politics is a game of give and take, and Fubara must find a way to navigate the crisis.
“Wike and the House of Assembly members should manage their egos to ensure that the people of Rivers State do not suffer,” he said, emphasizing that the ongoing political conflict was draining resources that could have been used for development.
Osadolor also pointed out that Wike’s excitement over the Supreme Court ruling was understandable, as he had faced political threats that nearly rendered him politically irrelevant.
APC Denies Impeachment Involvement
Reacting to the political crisis, the Rivers State APC Publicity Secretary, Chibike Ikenga, clarified that the party was not behind any impeachment move against Fubara, as it has no lawmakers in the Assembly.
“APC has no power to initiate any impeachment process against the governor,” Ikenga stated, stressing that the party’s main concern was ensuring that Fubara implemented the Supreme Court’s verdict.
He called on both the governor and the Assembly members to put their differences aside and work together for the state’s progress.
Ijaw National Congress Rejects Impeachment Move
Further strengthening the opposition against Fubara’s removal, the Ijaw National Congress reaffirmed its stance against the impeachment, arguing that it would be politically unjust to remove the first Ijaw governor of the state.
Speaking to newsmen on Sunday, the National Publicity Secretary of INC, Ezonebi Oyakemeagbegha, insisted that the move to remove Fubara was unfair, given that other ethnic groups had governed the state for extended periods.
“Rivers State is made up of many ethnic nationalities. Other ethnic groups have governed the state for years. If Fubara, an Ijaw man, is removed, it is unlikely that another Ijaw man will replace him,” he said.
He further lamented that the ongoing political feud was affecting governance, warning that the state’s economy and workers’ welfare could suffer due to halted allocations.
“The people of Rivers State are the ones suffering because allocations have been stopped. This means that salaries may not be paid, and the state will be at a standstill because projects will not be executed,” he added.
