Did you know that in less than 24 hours in Rivers State, 24 lawmakers were suspended, the Chief Judge of the State and all 23 local council chairmen were sacked, as well as the state executive council was dissolved on Monday, October 30, 2023, as a result of the fallout in the Fubara-Wike crisis?

The people of oil rich Rivers State woke up on Monday, October 30, to a political earthquake whose tremors began early the previous day when it was reported that the Rivers State House of Assembly (RSHA) Complex was touched by arsonist on the rumours of plans to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara, an action that led to the complex been taken over by the police with over 17 armoured vehicles with stern looking security personnel guarding it.

What followed next was an attempt by 24 lawmakers of the RSHA to commence impeachment proceedings on Governor Fubara whom they had issued notice of impeachment to. The aftermath was the suspension of three lawmakers. However, the sacked lawmakers regrouped and after gaining some support, suspended 24 out of the 32 lawmakers that make up the RSHA. They also removed the Chief Judge of the State and authorised Governor Fubara, who also sacked all 23 local council chairmen, to appoint a new acting Chief Judge.

The relationship between Fubara and former governor Nyesom Wike (now a Minister in the Federal Capital Territory Abuja) was said to have developed a crack due to the latter's overbearing nature and control of things in the state despite having relinquished power on May 29, and serving as FCT Minister.

Stakeholders in the State, perturbed by the slow pace of the Governor Fubara's administration that has been in office for five months, had expressed concern over seemingly slow pace of effective governance after the governor was sworn-in to office. The State Assembly leader, Edison Ehie, is said to have been opposing former governor Wike’s dictatorial tendencies after he has left office.

Despite the inactivity in the State, Governor Fubara had earlier inaugurated 14 commissioners and assigned portfolios to them. Just recently, after much criticism from opposition political parties, he inaugurated additional five commissioners who were screened by the House of Assembly. It was after the latest Commissioners were sworn-in that the rift between Governor Fubara and the ex-governor Wike began to manifest.

To begin with, it was gathered that Wike was not happy with Fubara’s move to revive Shonghai Farm and other initiated programmes the Fubara administration thought would be of immense benefit to the people. Recall that Shonghai Farm was initiated by a former governor of the State, Chibuike Amaechi, a former minister of transportation in the ex-President Muhammadu Buhari's regime who has been at loggerheads with Wike.

The political battle between Fubara and Wike seems to draw experience from that of Wike and Amaechi as many of the current players were middle level administrative and political officials as at that time. They seem to realise that whoever controls the House of Assembly and Chief Judge would decide impeachment matters; and that if you cannot control them, then cage them. And so, all of the sacked 23 local council chairmen are regarded as Wike's mobilisation and fighting base.

The Fubara camp seems eager to search all aggrieved groups in the state such as the Amaechi group, the Atiku Abubakar group, and all those who felt left out in the Wike group in the present scheme of things. There seems to be plenty of jobs to attract new allies into the Fubara camp: 23 LGA chairmen, councilors, commissioners, and other jobs waiting to be picked up.

To political observers, Fubara has used Wike’s template to fight him. Many have already urged the governor to issue new Executive Orders to cage his godfather. The fight is believed to get messier in the coming days, just as the 2012 crisis between Wike and Amaechi lingered into 2015.

On the new development, various stakeholders in Rivers State including non-governmental organisations such as the Coalition of Democratic Vanguard, through its Chairman, Thompson Orumbo, and Secretary, Peter Nwabunna; the Ijaw National Congress through its President, Professor Benjamin Okaba, and the National Youth Council of Nigeria in Rivers through its chairman, Chijioke Ihunwo, have all issued strong warnings to Wike not to truncate the relative peace in the state and not to undermine the democratic process, just as they condemned the impeachment plots on Governor Fubara and the leader of the Assembly.

Sources:
https://guardian.ng/news/crack-between-wike-fubara-emerges-as-impeachment-plot-thickens/
https://businessday.ng/politics/article/gale-of-impeachments-sacks-in-one-day-in-rivers/

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