THE POLITICS BEHIND THE FAILED IMPEACHMENT OF GOVERNOR FUBARA

So, let me take a few minutes out of my busy schedule to analyse the local politics being played by members of the Rivers State House of Assembly. The real issue was never Governor Fubara’s alleged spending without a budget, as claimed in their shallow, ill-conceived impeachment notice. Rather, the problem was a precursor arising from the agreement reached at the close of the emergency rule.

Before the emergency rule was lifted, the Governor was asked to dissolve his cabinet. Everyone knew this was a trap. He was also instructed not to associate with those who stood by him during the political milieu. The Governor had to stoop to conquer, like the ‘atabala’ fish, in his speech to his supporters before shutting down the Simplified movement, his primary support base group.

After the emergency rule was called off, the Governor deliberately avoided public association with his strong supporters, except during the burial of Edison Ehie’s brother, who was gunned down because of his support for the Governor during a Simplified outing. It was unavoidable for the Governor to attend that burial—a life was cut short simply for standing by him, and the deceased was a brother to one of his most trusted allies.

Subsequently, the Governor met with the President twice, with the last meeting culminating in his defection to the APC. Upon declaring his defection, Governor Fubara called out his supporters. To make matters worse, a high-powered APC delegation paid him a visit, comprising Minister Dave Umahi, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, and Minister of Aviation Festus Keyamo. They conveyed the President’s remarks that the Governor was performing excellently. This visit provoked the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, who began throwing tantrums against the delegation.

What Wike failed to realise was that if the delegation truly acted on the President’s directive, then his outburst, calling them “thieves” claiming that they were eyeing the ₦600 billion under Governor Fubara’s watch, was an affront to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Prior to this visit, the Governor had also reneged on the agreement to drop all his commissioners and allow his predecessor and associates to determine the new commissioner list. They also wanted the Governor to forward a supplementary budget to the Assembly.

Despite the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike publicly claiming on national television that he would not decide commissioners for the Governor, behind the scenes there was pressure to remove every trusted person working the Governor Fubara, to plant and impose a new list of people who probably cannot be trusted around the Governor. The Governor resisted and firmly turned down the move.

The Governor Sir Siminalayi Fubara was also uncomfortable with presenting a supplementary budget, as the budget passed by the National Assembly and executed by the Sole Administrator was still valid and running. He insisted that the appropriate budget to be passed was the 2026 Appropriation Bill. This position angered the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.

The intention was to liquidate the ₦600 billion referenced by the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly and reserve it for 2027 election, so that 2026 would begin on a “clean slate.” When the Governor refused to succumb, they declared war, allegedly at the directive of their master, the FCT Minister and proceeded on recess, announcing January 26, 2026, as their resumption date.

The Governor did not panic. He went ahead to prepare the 2026 Appropriation Bill, secured cabinet approval, and waited for the Assembly’s return so the bill could be presented for legislative consideration. However, instead of resuming on the scheduled date of 26th January 2026, the Assembly abruptly ended their recess early and reconvened without notice to the Governor on the 8th of January 2026.

The honourable thing would have been to formally notify the Governor of their early resumption. Instead, they organised an impromptu plenary and went on national television to announce an impeachment notice. Still, the Governor remained calm, even as the FCT Minister moved from one LGA to another threatening that the Governor would not secure a second term.

After issuing the impeachment notice, Assembly members attempted to fan the embers of discord, expecting the Governor to react emotionally as he had in the past. But the Governor applied strategic silence and engaged the Presidency instead. Feedback from the Presidency indicated that the President was displeased with the impeachment move, which unsettled the Assembly members.

They then reached out to the FCT Minister, who advised them to manage the situation. First, they claimed the FCT Minister had no knowledge of the impeachment notice, to exonerate him from the embarrassing move, contrary to widespread reports that the FCT Minister was allegedly present in the State Assembly chambers at the time, though not captured on camera.

Next came further damage control. Seeing that they were unable to proceed with the impeachment which will mean defying the President’s wish, two male Assembly members appeared on television seeking the Governor’s forgiveness, while still insisting he acted outside the Constitution and calling for peace. When that failed, two female Assembly members were sent out barely 24 hours later to repeat the same narrative.

There is no rest for the wicked. Those who set traps for Governor Fubara have fallen into it themselves. There is no way out. The only reasonable step now is for the Assembly to formally write the Governor and invite him, in sincerity, to present the 2026 Appropriation Bill. This shallow, failed damage-control strategy of apologising while simultaneously accusing the Governor of constitutional violations is ineffective and dishonest.

If the Governor truly acted against the Constitution, would these same people be calling for peace? The same individuals desperately seeking every opportunity to impeach or unseat him? This face-saving mission is merely playing to the gallery. The Assembly should do the right thing: formally invite the Governor on a mutually convenient date to present the 2026 Appropriation Bill and stop antagonising the Governor, since the plots to unseat him are no longer holding water.

B Ijoma Peter Obi | 14th January 2026