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Wike: Nothing Will Happen If Rivers Governor Fubara Is Impeached
If you have committed an offence to be impeached, what’s wrong? Is it a criminal offence? It’s provided in the constitution. Am I a member of the Assembly?
Abuja, Nigeria – The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed concerns over a potential political crisis if Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara is impeached, stating that “nothing will happen.”
Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, Wike, a former governor of Rivers State and a key figure in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the Martins Amaewhule-led House of Assembly has the constitutional right to remove Fubara if he is found guilty of impeachable offences, including allegedly withholding lawmakers’ salaries for months.
“If you have committed an offence to be impeached, what’s wrong? Is it a criminal offence? It’s provided in the constitution. Am I a member of the Assembly?” Wike asked.
“If you have committed an infraction of the constitution and the Assembly deems it fit to say you should be impeached, so be it.”
Reacting to speculation that Fubara’s impeachment could lead to instability, Wike dismissed such claims as “rubbish.”
“I have heard people say: ‘Oh, if they impeach him, there will be a breakdown of law and order.’ Rubbish! Nothing will happen,” he declared.
Wike also criticised Governor Fubara’s recent letter to the Assembly, stating that the governor could have handled the matter differently.
He noted that if the Amaewhule-led House had no intention of pursuing peace, the Assembly would have gone on a six-month recess after the Supreme Court ruling.
On February 28, 2025, the Supreme Court ruled on the protracted political dispute in Rivers State.
In a decision delivered by Justice Emmanuel Akomaye, the five-man panel dismissed Fubara’s cross-appeal, which challenged the legitimacy of Amaewhule as Speaker.
The court ordered the Speaker and other elected members of the House to resume legislative duties immediately.
The ruling further cements the authority of the Amaewhule-led Assembly, which has been at odds with Governor Fubara in recent months, escalating political tensions in the oil-rich South-South state.