By Willie Amadi
A couple of weeks ago the country was rudely woken up by news of an impeachment attempt by the G-27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly allegedly orchestrated by the former governor and current minister of the FCT Barr. Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike against his godson Governor Siminaliyi Fugbara who is barely six months in office.
Many reasons were given to justify the impeachment by different interest groups namely;
SIN ONE
It was alleged that the Governor unilaterally stopped the payment of N2billion monthly allowance payable to the former Governor to which Wike denied sarcastically during a TV interview in his office in Abuja.
SIN TWO
A viral audio clip claimed that the internally generated revenue which stood at an average N10b during Wike’s administration under Chief Whorlu, Chairman Rivers State Board of Internal Revenue his secondary school classmate suddenly dropped to N6billionafter Wike’s exit. This drastic shortfall was queried by Governor Siminaliyi who summoned the Chairman for explanations. Not satisfied with his explanations the Governor decided to invite Chief Chamberlin Peterside a former Commissioner for Finance under Barr. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi’s administration to assist him in rejigging the operations of the Board for optimal performance. This greatly enraged the former Governor.
SIN THREE
The third reason was the delay and or refusal to conduct local government election within his first three months in office by the Governor as agreed with Wike and the Speaker. The former Governor it is alleged, had as usual, single handedly handpicked all the candidates for the Chairmanship and Councillorship positions of the entire local governments in Rivers State for that election leaving the Governor without any reasonable input for those who will administer the local governments under his administration. Governor Siminaliyi dissatisfied with it on assumption of office based on realities on ground decided against the immediate conduct of local election and approached the Speaker with a list of Caretaker Committee members for the local government area for clearance inline with the law. The Speaker who was a party to the initial agreement reported back the Governor’s request to the former Governor. It was at this point that the decision was taken by the duo to take the Governor out through an impeachment which eventually backfired.
SIN FOUR
It was equally alleged that the former Governor Wike had awarded contracts ahead of the tenure of the incumbent Governor’s tenure and had secured the payments for the various contracts running into hundreds of billions of naira through bank guarantees from the banks warehousing the monthly federation account (FAC) account thereby foisting on his successor absolute compliance since the scheduled payments are deducted electronically at source on receipt of FAC. The Governor’s decision to review some of these choking decisions and the commencement of some contracts in his senatorial area started by former Governor Barr. Rotimi Amaechi also infuriated former Governor Wike the most.
SIN FIVE
It was also alleged that the Governor’s romance with enemies of his predecessors namely Amaechi, Omehua and all those who opposed his administration and Siminaliyi’s candidature over his assertions that the game of politics was over and that this is the time for inclusive governance weakened former Governor Wike to his bones.
It was these cocktail of sins and the criminal tampering with the “structure” that provoked the decision to impeach Governor Siminaliyi from office forthwith. These selective patriotic and good governance motives of the Governor perhaps became a punishable offence. So assuming but not conceding that the above “sinful offences” are true, were they enough reasons to activate an impeachment process against the Governor without a private father and son explanations first sought and obtained, considering the security and political tension an outright declaration of war against an incumbent with wide access to State funds and power will occasion ?
Obviously common sense and political tact was on vacation when this rash decision was taken by the non State actors.
IMPLICATIONS OF THE FAILED IMPEACHMENT MOVE AND MASS DEFECTIONS BY THE G-27 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY MEMBERS LED BY THE FORMER SPEAKER RT. HON. MARTIN CHIKE AMAEHULE.
- The hegemony and number of members of the Rivers State House of Assembly has unfortunately depleted to 5 membership full quorum thereby denying the people of Rivers State robust, qualitative and comprehensive legislative benefits. The Supreme Court decisions are very clear and instructive on the issue of defections. Once a member defects to another political party his seat becomes vacant as soon as the Speaker declares it so and proceed to writes the Independent National Electoral Commission. This was done with the speed of sound.
- With the suspension of the G-4 led by the former majority leader Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie who later was elected as Speaker by the G-4 as declared the authentic Speaker by the Order of the High Court, the Speaker and the House adopting the extant rules of the House proceded and declared the defected seats vacant. Jurisprudencially, UNTILL that Order of the Court is vacated, varied or reversed by the Court of Appeal, the G-4 now G-5 will continue to legally preside and legislate for the good people of Rivers State including and not limited to the passage of the 2024 and other legislative functions going forward. The G-27 by the current prevailing legal framework and precedents are no longer members of the Rivers State House of Assembly pending the final determination of the matter by the Supreme Court. Therefore, their recent sitting in the House of Assembly quarters and purported amendment of the local government law are mere Riverwood frowlic without any legal backing whatsoever. This is more pitiable when they sat in contemptuous disobedience of the court order barring them from parading themselves as members of the Rivers State House of Assembly pending the the determination of the matter before the court.
- Historically, Governor Chimaroke Nnamani of Enugu State worked with a 6-member House of Assembly when similar scenario played out between him and his godfather Jim Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo. Governor Siminaliyi will legally partner with the G-5 until either the Appeal Court reverses the Order of the High Court or INEC conducts a fresh election to fill the vacant seats.
- The over 90% hand picked appointees by the former Governor for his successor including the Chief of Staff, Secretary to the government of Rivers State, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice and other key Commissioners such as of Finance, Works and information are endangered and can no longer be neutral in favour for a longer time as most of them have thrown in the towel to free their conscience and also reassure and firm up their loyalty to former Governor Wike their mentor.
- The political class and the professional politicians will realign and continue to serve as raw materials and eat from the crumbs generated by the current political conflagration.
- The local government council chairmen’s tenure expires any moment from now and the Governor will take full charge of the local government administration through appointment of his direct loyalists and allies. The appointment of Caretaker Committees into the local government will be approved by the House of Assembly without delay as in the fastest passage of the budget in the history of the country.
- The State Council of Traditional Rulers led by a no nonsense political war horse HRM Sergeant Awutse last week pledged absolute loyalty to Governor Siminaliyi while pleading with the former Governor to shield his sword for the interests of the people of Rivers State.
- Regrettably, with the capture of the Judiciary, the Supreme Court where the former Governor would have tactically laid judicial ambush against unsuspecting Governor Siminaliyi rather than the usually protractive impeachment option may eventually and guidedly decide the fate of all concerned both named and unamed. The option of impeachment by Wike is an own goal.
- But God will speak last.
Finally, the avalanche of previous video vituperations about managing succession by Wike shows that the internet doesn’t forget. Wike’s travails is an eye opener to godfathers who do not factor God in their schemings. My advice to our brother Nyesom is to allow this calm sleeping bullmastif dog lie for the overall interest of the Rivers people because this is a war where “if Similayi doesn’t win, he will not lose”.
Willie Amadi, a lawyer and environmentalists writes from Owerri
