Following the January 28 judgment of the supreme court which upheld the withholding of the financial allocations of River state by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the invalidation of the state’s local government elections, and whose interpretation is also construed to have effectively reinstated the members of the Rivers State Assembly who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has publicly supported potential impeachment proceedings against the Rivers state Governor, Similayi Fubara.
Wike declared that the governor deserves to be impeached and stated he would not discourage the reinstated lawmakers from pursuing such action. The former governor claimed that his political opponents had been encouraging Fubara during the state’s ongoing conflict. He insisted that the governor must now comply with the Supreme Court’s order to prevent anarchy.
The Supreme Court judgment has sparked significant interest, with many interpreting it as a victory for Nyesom Wike and his group..
However, the Rivers State Government has chosen to exercise caution, opting to study the judgment carefully before making any definitive statements. In its reaction , the Rivers State Government acknowledged the judgment and stated that it is awaiting a detailed briefing on its implications.
In a press release signed by Hon. Commissioner for Information & Communications, Warisenibo Joe Johnson, the government stated that “We will carefully evaluate the situation and determine the next steps to take in the best interest of Rivers State and its people,” The government also urged Rivers people to remain calm and law-abiding and go about their legitimate businesses as it seeks clarity on the judgment.
While former governor, Nyesom Wike and his supporters are celebrating the supreme court’s judgment, legal opinions hints that any bid to impeach the state governor is not going to be as easy as his entranged predecessor may be imagining, given the legal safeguards built into Nigeria’s impeachment process by the constitution . The position of impeachment as spelt out by Section 188 of the Constitution, requires both the legislature and the Judiciary coming to agreement that the governor qualifies to be impeached. Particularly, the key requirement is for the Chief Judge of the state to set up a 7-man panel to investigate whatever allegations raised by the legislature against the governor and to agree that they warrant his impeachment.
This process mandates that the process of natural justice, which entails that both sides are equally heard, has to be complied with and upheld. If this constitutional safeguard, which is meant to ensure fair hearing is adhered to, than it is possible that any bid to impeach the governor might not be as straight forward as his opponents will wish. It is not impossible that the Governor Fubara had this possible development in mind when he earlier purged the allies and appointees of his estranged predecessor, Nyesom Wike, from the establishments of the state government. This purged, which included the hiarachies of the state judiciary, might have very well rendered the governor impeachment proofed.
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