Rivers State: One Week, Many Troubles

Obinna Chima, Editor, THISDAY Saturday

EDGY OPTIMIST BY Obinna Chima

Rivers State has once again become a theatre of political turbulence, exposing the depth of a long-running power struggle that has refused to abate.At the heart of the crisis, once more, is the escalating confrontation between Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who has been described as a ‘bad child’ by his predecessor, erstwhile godfather and rival, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike. This feud has been on since October 2023.

The latest battle that blends personal rivalry with raw political control appears to have been ignited after Fubara announced publicly that he now wears the ‘001’ crown in Rivers State’s All Progressives Congress (APC) after he defected to the ruling party, a few days after most members of the State Assembly announced joined the APC.

The move, which appeared not to have gone down well with his godfather, saw Wike embark on what he termed a ‘thank you tour’ of the local governments in the state, culminating in an impeachment notice served on Fubara and his Deputy, Ngozi Odu, by members of the State’s House of Assembly.

During Thursday’s plenary presided over by the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, who described the Governor as a “mistake,” the Majority Leader, Rivers State House of Assembly, Major Jack, read out the notice of allegations of gross misconduct against the Governor. Relying on Section 188 of the Nigerian Constitution, Jack reeled out seven points of alleged gross misconduct against Fubara.

The accusations are not different from what he was accused of in the past, which included the demolition of the Assembly Complex, extra budgetary spending, withholding funds meant for the Assembly Service Commission, and a refusal to obey the Supreme Court on the financial autonomy of the House. Twenty-six members of the Rivers State House of Assembly signed the notice.After Jack laid his notice before the Speaker, who said the notice would be served on the Governor in seven days, the Deputy Leader, Linda Stewart, also brought forward a notice of alleged gross misconduct against Odu. Some of the gross misconduct she was alleged to have committed included reckless and unconstitutional spending of public funds, obstruction of the House of Assembly from performing her constitutional duties as outlined in the 1999 Constitution, and conniving to allow unauthorised persons to occupy offices without proper screening by the legitimate House of Assembly.

While the reaction of the national leadership of the APC is being awaited, a faction of the Rivers State chapter of the party has rejected the impeachment moves by the State House of Assembly. The spokesperson, Darlington Nwauju, described the development as “untenable” and warned against actions capable of destabilising the state government.“We concede that the legislature is an independent arm in the tripod of governance, and the constitutional responsibilities of checks and balances are within its democratic purview.“Our position as of today on this matter is that we solemnly reject the resort to an impeachment process against our Governor and his deputy.

“It will be totally untenable for our party to keep quiet when an obvious hangover from the strifes that occurred within the PDP is allowed to resurface in our great party,” they wrote.It is worth noting that this is the third attempt to impeach Fubara, a telling reminder of the deepening power struggle between the Governor and his godfather. The first was in October 2023, and it took the intervention of President Bola Tinubu for the lawmakers to halt the process. However, few months after, hostility resumed again, leading to a second attempt to impeach Fubara in March 2025, which saw the President declaring a state of emergency in the State and appointing a sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas (retd), who was in charge for six months. Now, in less than four months after his resumption, Fubara is faced with another attempt to remove him from office, a move that has sharply divided the political class, deepened tensions within the state, and further unsettled governance in Rivers State.

The FCT Minister is not backing down. Wike, who controls both a faction of the APC and the PDP in the State, through his ‘rainbow coalition,’ has told anyone who cares to listen that his political career would come to an end if Fubara secures a second term in office in 2027, hence the urgent need by the Rivers House of Assembly, which is dominated by his loyalists, to ensure the Governor is removed before the primaries of the party.

“If we make another mistake, then we will go and bury ourselves politically. I will not allow myself to be buried. I will not allow that mistake again. So everybody should know we have made a decision,” he told his supporters recently.It is disheartening to see how the lust for power and the desperation to control resources of the State continue to fuel instability in the oil-rich Rivers. Political instability has persistently been a significant factor in Rivers, as despite efforts of well-meaning Nigerians to ensure peace, it continues to dot the State’s political landscape. Political instability impacts economic development and overall progress negatively. Politicians must see politics as a noble calling to serve the people and distribute resources fairly, and not to enrich or enlarge the political base of a godfather. For citizens to actually reap the dividends of democracy, the culture of godfatherism must be eliminated.

While the political elites battle over who controls the State’s resources, unfortunately, the plight of the common man in Rivers is completely ignored, and governance is sidelined for political battle. Public services are neglected, and when the conflict degenerates, as we have seen in the past, properties are destroyed, and even lives are lost.Wike, who appears to be on a relentless quest for political dominance ahead of the 2027 elections, needs to have a rethink and stop prioritising personal ambition over the collective good.

Ultimately, President Tinubu and the national leadership of the APC must step in decisively to halt the impeachment proceedings against Fubara, in the broader interest of party cohesion and democratic stability. Allowing the impeachment process to be driven to its conclusion would set a dangerous precedent, in which a non-member of the party and political outsider effectively determines who controls the APC in a key state. If Wike is allowed to have his way, it will not only deepen internal fractures but also weaken the moral authority and electoral credibility of the party ahead of the 2027 elections.