The Director of News at Television Continental (TVC), Babajide Otitoju, has described the ongoing impeachment efforts against Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, as a calculated political strategy designed to elevate the Speaker of the State House of Assembly to a position of excessive power.
Otitoju made this assertion on Sunday during a live interview on TVC, where he analyzed the deepening political turmoil in Rivers State. The crisis follows the decision by members of the State House of Assembly to initiate impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, over allegations of gross misconduct.
According to Otitoju, the impeachment process appears less about accountability and more about political maneuvering. He argued that the attempt to remove the deputy governor is particularly questionable, as the lawmakers have failed to clearly articulate any specific wrongdoing on her part. This, he suggested, has fueled public suspicion that the impeachment plot is merely a means to force both the governor and his deputy out of office.
Otitoju further explained that such a move would automatically position the Speaker of the House as acting governor, thereby concentrating power in the legislature. He warned that this trend reflects a broader political reality in Nigeria, where governors who lose the backing of their state assemblies often find their tenures severely threatened.
“The reality is simple,” Otitoju noted. “Once a governor loses the support of lawmakers, his political survival becomes uncertain.” He referenced the historical example of former Kaduna State Governor, Balarabe Musa, who was impeached under similar circumstances due to prolonged conflict with the state legislature.
Meanwhile, the political tension in Rivers State has also drawn reactions from other political stakeholders. Former Chairman of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area, Chijioke Ihunwo, has attributed the prolonged crisis to what he described as external interference in the affairs of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
In an interview on Arise News on Saturday, Ihunwo insisted that Governor Fubara has not committed any impeachable offence. He argued that despite interventions from the presidency and the introduction of emergency measures aimed at restoring stability, the crisis has persisted because certain political interests are determined to exert control over the state’s political structure.
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