Uche Nworah, Ph.D
The Rivers State House of Assembly has commenced impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, accusing them of gross misconduct. According to The Cable, the process was formally initiated during plenary on Thursday, marking a significant escalation in the state’s protracted political crisis.
While impeachment is a constitutional mechanism, few observers see this development as an isolated legislative action. Rather, it appears to be the latest move in a bitter power struggle that has defined Rivers State politics since the transition from the previous administration to the current one.
Political analysts point to the strong influence of a former governor of the state-now a powerful national political figure-who has been locked in a fierce battle for relevance, control, and political survival against his successor. The House of Assembly, dominated by lawmakers aligned with the former governor, is widely perceived as an extension of this struggle rather than an independent arbiter.
From a power-politics perspective, the legislature currently holds the advantage. It controls the impeachment process, commands the numbers, and is setting the political agenda. The governor, meanwhile, appears besieged-forced to defend his mandate amid institutional hostility and persistent political pressure.
However, this contest is far from over. Impeachment proceedings do not automatically translate into removal. The governor still has constitutional safeguards, judicial options, and potential federal interventions at his disposal. Public sentiment, elite negotiations, and back-channel political deals may yet alter the trajectory.
For now, the balance of power tilts toward the Assembly and its external backers. But Rivers State politics has never been predictable. As history has shown, today’s advantage can quickly become tomorrow’s setback.
What is clear is that Rivers State is once again at the crossroads-where constitutional processes, personal ambition, and raw political power collide.
