Rivers: Pat Utomi Replies Nyesom Wike for Saying That Heaven Will Not Fall If Fubara Is Impeached

An economist and prominent member of the Labour Party (LP) has shared his views on the political turmoil currently unfolding in Rivers State. His remarks were made in a post shared on his official X handle this past Friday. This statement follows comments made by the former governor of Rivers State and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, who suggested that there would be no catastrophic consequences if the Governor of Rivers, Siminalayi Fubara, were to be impeached.

According to a report by Vanguard, Minister Wike emphasized that if the governor had committed any impeachable offense, it would be right for him to face impeachment. He was quoted saying, “The point I am making is, if he has committed an infraction on the constitution and the Assembly deems it fit to say he should be impeached, then fine. Is he the first person that would be threatened with impeachment? Don’t you know what to do? What’s all this hullabaloo about impeachment?”

In response to this, political economist Pat Utomi expressed concern about the potential consequences of the political instability in Rivers State. He warned that the ongoing unrest, fueled by the manipulation of poverty and the use of disenfranchised people for protests, could have serious long-term effects.

He noted that this environment of disorder, alongside political fragmentation, would likely result in economic stagnation, increased insecurity, and food scarcity. Utomi’s reflections were shared on his social media, where he stated: “How does it escape us that the seeds of anarchy being planted in Rivers State, the weaponization of poverty so we can recruit the poor to protest on our behalf and the programmed discord in most political parties, invariably lead us to economic stagnation, compounded insecurity and food insecurity.”