Before Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers and suspended Simnilayi Fubara, the River State Governor; Ngozi Nma Odu, his deputy; and the members of the state’s house of assembly over the ongoing political crisis in the state on Tuesday evening, there were already moves to impeach Fubara as the governor of the state.
If he had been impeached, Fubara would have joined Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, Rashidi Ladoja, and other former state governors who have been kicked out of their offices through impeachments in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.
Below is a comprehensive list of governors who went down in history as impeached governors since 1999 and the circumstances that surrounded their impeachment:
1. Diepreye Alamieyeseigha
Alamieyeseigha was the first civilian governor of Bayelsa when Nigeria returned to democracy in the Fourth Republic.
He was elected as governor of Bayelsa in 1999 and reelected in 2003. In 2005, Alamieyeseigha was impeached on allegations of corruption, including theft of public funds, abuse of office, and money laundering.
Two years after his impeachment, he pleaded guilty in court to six charges and was sentenced to prison.
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2. Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja
Ladoja was the governor of Oyo State between 2003 and 2006. His tenure as governor ended abruptly in January 2006 when the Oyo State lawmakers at the time impeached him and forced him out of office.
Christopher Alao-Akala was sworn in as governor in his place. He was, however, reinstated as governor of the state in December of that year.
He ruled as governor until 2007. In 2019, Ladoja said that he was impeached because he didn’t support former president Olusegun Obasanjo’s bid for a third term and told him he was unqualified for a third term.
3. Ayo Fayose
Fayose was elected as governor of Ekiti State in 2003. Three years later, he and his deputy, Biodun Olujimi, were impeached on allegations of mismanagement of public funds and corruption.
No fewer than 24 out of 26 lawmakers voted to remove Fayose and his deputy. He had been accused of embezzling state funds, particularly the Ekiti State Poultry Project.
There were reports that Fayose fled the country, but he denied the claims and said he was hiding at the time because he feared for his life.
The state’s house of assembly swore in Friday Aderemi the same day Fayose was impeached. The president at the time, Olusegun Obasanjo, described Fayose’s impeachment as “a clear case of usurpation of power”. The Supreme Court also ruled that his impeachment was illegal.
4. Peter Obi
Before Peter Obi became the flagbearer of the Labour Party during the 2023 Presidential Election, he was a one-time governor of Anambra State.
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Obi was impeached by the state’s lawmakers in 2006 after occupying office for only six months. According to Obi, he was impeached for refusing to inflate the state’s budget and because of his integrity.
He challenged his impeachment in court and won. The Court of Appeal ruled that his impeachment was unlawful. He was reinstated on February 9, 2007.
5. Joshua Dariye
Plateau State lawmakers, when Dariye was governor of the state, began to plot his impeachment in October 2006. Eight of the 24 state’s house of assembly members issued an impeachment notice against him, but he challenged this, stating that the eight lawmakers failed to form a quorum as the constitution implies.
Dariye was linked to money laundering. He was eventually impeached the following month and his deputy, Michael Botmang, was sworn in as governor.
He was reinstated after the Supreme Court nullified his impeachment. His tenure, however, ended in May 2007. That same year, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) accused him of diverting about N1 billion meant for the state’s ecological funds.
6. Murtala Nyako
Nyako was impeached as the governor of Adamawa State in 2014. He was accused of misappropriating over N17 billion, illegally deducting state workers’ salaries, and misusing local government funds.
He and his deputy, Bala Ngilari, were served impeachment notices in June 2014. A month later, lawmakers removed him from his office.
Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, the current governor of the state, who was the speaker of the state’s house of assembly at the time, was sworn in as the state’s acting governor in his place.
