Rivers: Fubara may face impeachment threat – Cole

Tonye Cole, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the 2023 Rivers State governorship election, has expressed concerns about the political challenges facing Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

Speaking on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Thursday, Cole cautioned that Fubara could be at risk of impeachment due to the escalating political crisis.

Cole’s warning follows a recent Court of Appeal ruling that upheld a Federal High Court decision nullifying the presentation and approval of Rivers State’s 2024 budget.

Siminalayi Fubara

He stated that this ruling puts Fubara in a “dangerous political situation” that is gravely impacting governance within the state.

The former APC gubernatorial candidate expressed his belief that the situation could lead to serious political consequences for Fubara’s administration.

He said, “The governor finds himself in a very precarious political situation. Of course, by presenting the budget back to that assembly, what this means is that the assembly (led by Amaewhule) is recognised as the legal assembly.

“Once that happens, he has to now navigate a possible impeachment issue.

“We have a state where the governor is PDP, the house of assembly based on the court case is APC, and you have a local government structure that is APP. So, you have three different parties running the state.”

Cole said the people of Rivers are the losers in the political crisis, adding that development is stagnant in the south-south state.

He added, “As it stands right now, the people of Rivers do not matter in the equation that is being played out.

“If the interests of Rivers people were on the table, we would not even be where we are today. This entire fight is political, and it has to do with a very small political family.

“As we speak today, there is no development. The political battle is affecting the poor man on the street.”