The recent impeachment move against Governor Siminalayi Fubara by lawmakers widely regarded as loyal to Nyesom Wike marks a decisive escalation in Rivers State’s ongoing power struggle. What had previously appeared as a contest of influence has now entered the more dangerous terrain of institutional confrontation. Impeachment, by its nature, is not merely a political tool; it is a constitutional weapon, and its deployment reveals how high the stakes have become.
This move cannot be understood in isolation. It is the logical extension of a post-governorship strategy that seeks to retain control over Rivers State through political structures rather than formal authority. For Wike, whose political identity was forged through dominance and confrontation, the loss of direct control over Government House has always posed a strategic dilemma. The impeachment gambit appears aimed at reminding all actors that the levers of power can still be pulled—even from outside the state.
Yet impeachment is a blunt instrument. Once introduced into a political conflict, it alters public perception and shifts sympathy. What may have been framed as internal party discipline or political disagreement now risks being seen as an attempt to subvert the mandate of an elected governor. In such moments, the narrative often moves away from personalities and toward principles—stability, constitutionalism, and the right of a sitting governor to govern.
For Fubara, the impeachment threat paradoxically strengthens his position. It reinforces his status not as a proxy, but as an embattled officeholder defending institutional authority. Nigerian political history shows that governors who survive impeachment attempts often emerge more independent, more assertive, and sometimes more popular. The office, once challenged, tends to harden its resolve.
The presidency’s likely response is caution. An impeachment crisis in a politically sensitive state like Rivers carries national implications. Open endorsement of such a move risks appearing complicit in destabilization, while silence allows events to play out within constitutional boundaries. In the delicate build-up to 2027, stability may prove more valuable to the center than loyalty to any single political actor.
The larger risk lies with those who initiated the process. Impeachment, if unsuccessful, diminishes the authority of its sponsors and exposes the limits of their control. It signals desperation rather than strength and accelerates the erosion of informal power. What was once influence exercised quietly becomes force applied publicly—and force, when resisted, often weakens the hand that wields it.
In the gathering political cloud over Rivers State, the impeachment move may ultimately be remembered not as a masterstroke, but as a miscalculation. Rivers politics, like the river itself, resists confinement. When power is asserted too aggressively against its natural flow, it tends to break its banks. And in that flood, it is often the architects of control—not the river—that are swept aside. Someone should help me remind Wike.
—Prof. Chike Onwe
Abakaliki | January 8, 2026
#RiversPolitics #NyesomWike #simfubara
