Lateef Fagbemi, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, stated that if not for President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency, Siminalayi Fubara, the suspended governor of Rivers, would have been impeached by the state legislature.
Fagbemi made the remarks to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, explaining that the state of emergency had effectively halted the impeachment proceedings in the Rivers State House of Assembly against both Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu.
On Tuesday, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers due to political and security instability in the state. Along with this move, he suspended Fubara, Odu, and all members of the Rivers House of Assembly.
Before the state of emergency was declared, the House of Assembly had issued a notice of “gross misconduct” against both the governor and his deputy.
Fagbemi suggested that the declaration of emergency could be seen as a strategic move to prevent the governor’s impeachment.
“It appears so. Don’t forget, just yesterday (Tuesday), there was a notice of impeachment from the House of Assembly,” he said. “Had the impeachment process gone through, the governor would have been completely ousted. So, if you call it a compromise, I would agree.”
He went on to explain that the emergency rule essentially stopped the impeachment process, which would have removed both Fubara and Odu from office for the remainder of their four-year term.
Fagbemi also defended President Tinubu’s decision, calling it a “bold move.” He noted, “We were all present when the president addressed the public, laying out the facts clearly from the beginning to the end.”
