The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and immediate-past Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, have reportedly suspended the impeachment plot against his successor and Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
According to ThisDay, Wike halted the impeachment plot to avert a possible exposure of the purported dossier of himself and the governor to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Recall that before the March 2023 election, the EFCC had declared Fubara a wanted person, along with 58 others, over an alleged misuse of N435 billion.
It was alleged that Fubara, who was the Director of Finance and Accounts (DFA), Governor’s Office, and later Accountant General of the state, could not have mismanaged the said amount without the knowledge or consent of Wike, who was the governor.
Sources told the platform that Wike’s decision to back Fubara was a strategic plan aimed at ensuring that the immunity that would cover him as governor would shield him from arrest and prosecution.
Wike’s camp is concerned that once the governor is impeached and arrested by the EFCC, he will expose all alleged suspicious financial transactions of the state government as the former Accountant General under Wike’s administration.
One source said: “If the allegation against Fubara is true, there is no way that he could have mismanaged N435 billion without the consent of an active governor like Wike. Close watchers of the politics of the state suspect that a lot of public funds were channelled into Wike’s failed presidential ambition.
“Fubara was taking the bullet for Wike, and it was in return that he earned the trust of the governor to make him the sole candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State. So, the peace accord, to most of us, was to avoid further exposure that could be detrimental to the political career of the former governor, now FCT minister.
“Though Wike is serving in an All Progressives Congress (APC) government, he may still be nursing further political ambition, and any fight with Fubara may not be in his best interest.”
Also, ThisDay reports that the ethnic colouration of the impeachment move and the intervention of President Bola Tinubu and other governors may have influenced its suspension.
The source added: “No doubt, the planned impeachment generated tension in the riverine areas where oil exploration is taking place, and this would have affected the economy negatively. Most Ijaws believe that this is their time, and therefore in one way or the other, they will try to resist the plot if Wike presses further. If the Ijaws feel that their interest is being jeopardised, oil production will suffer and the economy will be adversely affected.”
