The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the 2023 Rivers State governorship election, Tonye Cole, has raised concerns about the precarious political situation faced by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Speaking on Thursday during an appearance on Channels TV’s Politics Today, Cole warned that Fubara could potentially face impeachment due to the unfolding political crisis.
Cole’s remarks come in the wake of a recent Court of Appeal judgment that upheld a Federal High Court ruling voiding the presentation and passage of the 2024 budget for Rivers State.
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.”