Siminalayi Fubara, the governor of Rivers State, has been cleared of any misbehavior that could have led to his removal from office by the Good Governance Advocacy Centre (GGAC), an independent civic watchdog.
The group called the current impeachment proceedings against the governor and his deputy a political witch hunt motivated more by self-interest than by constitutional violations in a statement released on Thursday.
The organization said that a 72-hour forensic examination of the impeachment notice and related accusations turned up no proof of egregious misbehavior in a statement signed by its national representative, Zaccheus Ocha.
The Rivers State House of Assembly’s concerns were “manifestly weak, speculative, and politically motivated,” according to GGAC, which conducted a “exhaustive legal, procedural, and factual analysis” of them.
GGAC claims that the impeachment letter did not meet the fundamental constitutional level necessary to initiate removal procedures, pointing out that the accusations were either unsupported by verifiable facts or clearly lay within the executive branch’s discretionary powers.
“After a 72-hour independent review, the Good Governance Advocacy Center has concluded that there is no act of gross misconduct established against Governor Siminalayi Fubara or his deputy,” the statement states.
“What is presented as impeachment is, in essence, a political project aimed at factional and personal gains, not the protection of constitutional order.”
The group claimed that the impeachment notice’s content, pertinent constitutional provisions, financial documents mentioned by parliamentarians, and the executive branch’s public acts since the administration’s inception were all included in its review. It further stated that none of the allegations satisfied the requirements for “grave violation or misconduct” as outlined in Section 188 of the constitution.
GGAC described the problem as a continuation of unresolved power conflicts rather than a true accountability process and connected the impeachment action to the ongoing political rivalry between the governor and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike.
The impeachment process is not taking place in a political vacuum, based on the trend of events in Rivers State.
The statement said, “Our analysis shows that the legislative actions against Governor Fubara are deeply rooted in the post-transition power struggle following the departure of the former governor, Nyesom Wike, and the resistance to the governor’s efforts to assert institutional independence.”
The organization noted that impeachment was being used as a coercive tool to compel political acquiescence and that the house of assembly had turned into “a proxy battlefield” in a larger effort to maintain control over state structures.
It is not possible to settle disputes between current and former political leaders by abusing constitutional procedures. According to GGAC, “impeachment is an extraordinary remedy, not a weapon for enforcing loyalty or settling succession disputes.”
The advocacy group cautioned that using impeachment as a weapon to further political agendas would seriously jeopardize democratic stability both nationally and in Rivers.
The statement read, “Our findings show a deliberate attempt to use legislative overreach to intimidate the executive and destabilize governance in Rivers State.”
GGAC added that no court order had been broken and no criminal offense had been shown, citing a number of complaints that listed administrative choices that were unquestionably within the governor’s legal jurisdiction, such as financial acts and appointments.
It also criticized the speed at which the impeachment process was started, claiming that it created grave questions about fairness and due process. According to the group, its investigation showed “clear procedural red flags,” such as insufficient reaction time and what it called a predetermined outcome.
“The conclusion that the process is punitive rather than corrective is reinforced by the rush to impeachment, without sincere effort at dialogue or reconciliation,” the statement said.
The group cautioned that carrying out the impeachment might cause Rivers to experience protracted instability, divert attention from governance, and jeopardize the oil-producing state’s security and economic interests.
In order to avert what it called a “avoidable constitutional crisis engineered by political brinkmanship,” it urged respected political leaders, elders, and civil society actors to step in and urged lawmakers to immediately halt the processes and embrace dialogue.
“An more season of contrived turmoil is not necessary for Rivers State. GGAC stated that people’ interests must come before individual goals and unresolved political grievances.
The group emphasized that impeachment procedures must be rigorously governed by the law and not by the influence of influential political players working behind the scenes. It also urged national democratic institutions to keep a close eye on developments.
“How power is used and controlled determines how credible Nigeria’s democracy is. Public confidence in democratic institutions is damaged when impeachment is used as a negotiating tool in elite power battles, according to the statement.
The state house of assembly’s decision to start the impeachment process against Fubara and Odu, which has sparked conflicting responses from political players and civil society organizations, has increased political tension in Rivers.
Lawmakers, stakeholders, and the general public will have access to GGAC’s whole analytical study, which maintains that the only way to achieve democratic stability is via openness, moderation, and rigorous respect to constitutional principles.
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