By Felix Durumbah
There is only one major obstacle to the plot to potentially impeach Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers State by the majority 27 lawmakers in the State House of Assembly: the State Chief Judge (CJ), Justice Simeon Amadi.
This was the view of Mahmud Jega, former Special Adviser, Public Affairs, to President Bola Tinubu when the latter was presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2023 elections. Jega is also a respected editor and political analyst.
He spoke on Arise TV on the protracted Rivers State crisis involving the governor and his estranged political godfather, who is now Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Nyesom Wike.
According to Jega, traps for Fubara were being laid by the Speaker Martins Amaewhule-led 27 lawmakers of the State Assembly to pave the way for the governor’s impeachment, adding, however, that the chief hindrance is the CJ who will not bend to their scheme.
Peopleandpolitics.net notes that the 1999 Constitution (as amended) stipulates the critical role a CJ plays in the impeachment process of a governor or deputy governor.
Section 188 subsection 5 states that: “Within seven days of the passing of a motion under the foregoing provisions of this section, the Chief Judge of the state shall at the request of the speaker of the State House of Assembly, appoint a panel of seven persons who in his opinion are of unquestionable integrity,not being members of any public service, legislative house or political party, to investigate the allegation as provided in this section.”
Only yesterday, Saturday, March 15, the Minister publicly stated that he does not plan to stop the lawmakers from performing their constitutional duties of impeaching Fubara,if found guilty of gross misconduct.
Amaewhule and the 27 loyal to Wike have been perceived as the Minister’s battlefield proxies with the Minister at dagger’s drawn with Fubara over control of the soul of the state,which is governed by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Wike, a PDP man, accepted to serve in the federally ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) government of President Tinubu as Minister.
Some analysts said what is really at stake in the political fight in Rivers is the 2027 general elections where,it is claimed, huge pressure is on Wike to deliver the state wholesale to Tinubu, more so now that fresh conflagrations from the vote-rich far North of the country,have been ignited against Tinubu by influential APC decampee, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, and other heavyweights.
Unconfirmed reports said Wike wants his kinsman, Amaewhule, as next governor, should the plot to oust Fubara succeed.
Amaewhule and others had on February 28,2025 secured a landmark triumph at the Supreme Court, which ordered that they resume their legislative duties, having been relieved of their seats by their party, PDP, following their defection to APC even as different strands of the matter are presently before courts for final determination.
The apex court also ordered the governor to re-present the 2025 budget to the entire House of the Assembly, as against the four-member Assembly to which he had earlier presented it, and re-conduct the state’s Local Government elections.
But, as the governor arrived at the Assembly to re-present the budget last Thursday, Fubara said he found himself locked out by the lawmakers on the ground that they were not well informed of his visit.
Next day, the lawmakers said they were proceeding on indefinite recess even as rumour is rife that they were seriously plotting underground to remove the governor from office.
On this, Jega said: “The Rivers State Assembly members are loyal to Wike and bent on impeaching Fubara.”
However, he added: “Their only obstacle is the Chief Judge of Rivers, who they are now going after.”
The lawmakers have revved up machinery to investigate Justice Amadi on allegations of age falsification.
