Tinubu to address Nigerians on Rivers political crisis tonight

President Bola Tinubu is expected to hold a nationwide broadcast to address the crisis in Rivers state by 7pm tonight.

Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, said the broadcast will be transmitted by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN).

The Rivers house of assembly had on Monday commenced an impeachment move against Siminalayi Fubara, governor of the state, and Ngozi Odu, his deputy, after accusing them of gross misconduct.

The lawmakers accused Fubara of reckless and unconstitutional expenditure of public funds, among other allegations.

In a notice dated March 14 and signed by 26 assembly members, Fubara was accused of failure to present the 2024 Appropriation Bill to the assembly. He was also alleged to have authorised withdrawals from the state’s consolidated revenue fund without a duly enacted appropriation law.

On March 17, Martin Amaewhule, speaker to the Rivers assembly, forwarded the notice to Fubara, citing section 188 of the constitution, which outlines the process for impeaching a governor, and requested his response to the allegations within 14 days.

Rivers has been bogged down in a political crisis stemming from the power struggle between Fubara and Nyesom Wike, his predecessor and minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The rift led to the polarisation of the Rivers assembly.

The crisis took a new twist on February 28 when the supreme court upheld a federal high court ruling barring the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the accountant-general of the federation from releasing Rivers state’s statutory monthly allocations.

The court also nullified the local government elections conducted in the state on October 5, 2024.

In response, Fubara promised to comply with the apex court’s ruling in an attempt to address the state’s political impasse.

He invited the lawmakers to a meeting, but the legislators shunned the proposed parley, accusing Fubara of not following due process.

Days later, the governor wrote again to the assembly, requesting a new date to present the 2025 appropriation bill. About 24 hours after the governor issued the letter, the assembly adjourned plenary indefinitely.

Earlier on Tuesday, an explosion was reported at a section of the Trans-Niger Pipeline (TNP) in Bodo community, Gokana LGA of Rivers.

The police command in the state later announced that its officers had arrested two suspects in connection with the explosion.