By Henryrich Ojo | Newsworld

Impeachment remains one of the most dramatic constitutional processes through which an elected governor can be removed from office in Nigeria.

Since the country adopted the presidential system of government in 1979, only a handful of governors have been removed through impeachment proceedings, despite numerous attempts by state Houses of Assembly to unseat governors.

The first was Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa of Kaduna State, who was removed in 1981 during the Second Republic.

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In the Fourth Republic, which began in 1999, governors including Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, Rashidi Ladoja, Ayodele Fayose, Peter Obi, Joshua Dariye and Murtala Nyako were subjected to impeachment proceedings that resulted in announcements of their removal.

However, an important distinction runs through Nigeria’s impeachment history: not every impeachment announced by a House of Assembly ultimately survived judicial scrutiny.

In several cases, the courts later ruled that constitutional procedures had not been followed, leading to the reinstatement of the affected governors.

Here is a look at seven notable Nigerian governors who were impeached or declared removed from office, and what eventually happened to each of them.

1. Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa — Kaduna State

Alhaji Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa holds the distinction of being the first elected governor in Nigeria to be impeached.

Musa was elected governor of the old Kaduna State in 1979 on the platform of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) during the Second Republic.

His administration faced a difficult relationship with a State House of Assembly dominated by members of the rival National Party of Nigeria (NPN).

Political disagreements intensified over Musa’s choice of cabinet members and aspects of his administration’s policies.

The Kaduna State House of Assembly eventually commenced impeachment proceedings against him.

Musa was removed from office on June 23, 1981, and his deputy, Abba Musa Rimi, succeeded him.

Unlike some later impeachment cases, Musa did not return to the governorship.

He subsequently maintained that his removal was politically motivated and linked to his opposition to powerful political and economic interests.

2. Diepreye Alamieyeseigha — Bayelsa State

Former Bayelsa State Governor Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamieyeseigha became the first governor successfully removed through impeachment during the Fourth Republic.

Alamieyeseigha was elected governor in 1999 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and secured a second term in 2003.

His administration later became embroiled in allegations of corruption and money laundering.

In 2005, he was arrested in the United Kingdom over money-laundering allegations but later returned to Nigeria.

On December 9, 2005, the Bayelsa State House of Assembly impeached him over allegations including corruption, abuse of office and financial misconduct.

His deputy, Goodluck Jonathan, was subsequently sworn in as governor.

Unlike several other governors whose impeachments were later overturned, Alamieyeseigha’s removal was not reversed by the courts.

He later faced prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and pleaded guilty to corruption-related offences.

3. Rashidi Ladoja — Oyo State

Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja became governor of Oyo State in May 2003 on the PDP platform.

His administration soon became embroiled in a major political confrontation involving sections of the State House of Assembly and influential political actors.

On January 12, 2006, a faction of lawmakers announced Ladoja’s removal from office.

His deputy, Christopher Alao-Akala, was subsequently sworn in as governor.

Ladoja rejected the impeachment and challenged it in court.

The case eventually reached the Supreme Court, which found that the procedure used to remove him did not comply with the constitutional requirements under Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution.

The Supreme Court held that the impeachment process had been initiated by a faction of the 32-member House without the constitutionally required majority.

Ladoja’s removal was therefore declared unconstitutional, null and void.

He returned to office in December 2006 and completed his tenure in May 2007.

4. Ayodele Fayose — Ekiti State

Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose was another governor caught up in the wave of impeachment proceedings that swept through parts of Nigeria in 2006.

Fayose defeated incumbent Governor Niyi Adebayo in the 2003 election and assumed office on May 29 of that year.

His administration later faced allegations involving the management of state funds.

The Ekiti State House of Assembly commenced impeachment proceedings against Fayose and his deputy.

On October 16, 2006, lawmakers announced Fayose’s removal from office.

The political crisis subsequently escalated, leading then-President Olusegun Obasanjo to declare a state of emergency in Ekiti State and appoint retired Brigadier-General Adetunji Olurin as administrator.

Fayose later returned to active politics and won the 2014 Ekiti governorship election.

His earlier impeachment became an issue in subsequent legal proceedings over his eligibility to contest.

In 2015, the Supreme Court upheld his election, finding that he had not been legally impeached in accordance with the Constitution.

Fayose subsequently served another term as governor from 2014 to 2018.

5. Peter Obi — Anambra State

Former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi experienced one of Nigeria’s shortest-lived impeachments.

Obi assumed office on March 17, 2006, following a prolonged legal battle over the 2003 governorship election.

Less than eight months later, on November 2, 2006, lawmakers announced his removal from office over allegations of gross misconduct.

His deputy, Virginia Etiaba, was sworn in as governor, making her Nigeria’s first female state governor.

Obi challenged the impeachment in court.

The legality of the process was questioned because the lawmakers who voted for his removal did not have the constitutionally required two-thirds majority of the full House.

The courts subsequently nullified the impeachment.

Obi was restored to office on February 9, 2007, after the Court of Appeal upheld the decision invalidating his removal.

He later secured another significant judicial victory establishing that his constitutionally protected tenure should run from the date he actually took the oath of office.

Obi eventually remained governor until 2014 after winning re-election in 2010.

6. Joshua Dariye — Plateau State

Former Plateau State Governor Joshua Dariye was another governor removed during the controversial impeachment wave of 2006.

Dariye was elected governor in 1999 and secured a second term in 2003.

His administration faced allegations of corruption, money laundering and diversion of public funds.

On November 13, 2006, lawmakers announced his impeachment.

His deputy, Michael Botmang, subsequently assumed office as governor.

However, the legality of the process was immediately challenged.

Plateau State had a 24-member House of Assembly, but only a limited number of lawmakers participated in the impeachment proceedings.

The case eventually reached the Supreme Court.

In April 2007, the Supreme Court upheld the decision nullifying Dariye’s removal and ordering his reinstatement.

The court found that the constitutional requirements for removing a governor had not been satisfied.

Dariye returned to office shortly before the expiration of his tenure on May 29, 2007.

7. Murtala Nyako — Adamawa State

Former naval officer Murtala Nyako remains the most recent Nigerian governor to have been removed through an impeachment process.

Nyako became governor of Adamawa State in 2007 and subsequently secured another term.

During his second term, his relationship with the Adamawa State House of Assembly deteriorated significantly.

Lawmakers accused his administration of gross misconduct and financial impropriety.

On July 15, 2014, 17 members of the 25-member Adamawa State House of Assembly adopted the report of an investigative panel and removed Nyako from office.

Then-Speaker Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri became acting governor following the impeachment.

Nyako challenged the process in court.

In February 2016, the Court of Appeal declared the impeachment unconstitutional, null and void, holding that the process had breached constitutional requirements, including the governor’s right to fair hearing.

The court also ordered that Nyako receive the rights and entitlements attached to the office.

However, he could not return to Government House because his tenure had already expired.

The Pattern Behind Nigeria’s Impeachment Battles

Nigeria’s history of gubernatorial impeachment reveals that being declared impeached by a House of Assembly does not necessarily mean the removal will survive legal scrutiny.

Of the seven prominent cases highlighted above, some governors never returned to office, while others successfully challenged their removal and were reinstated by the courts.

The recurring legal issue has largely centred on whether the State House of Assembly complied strictly with the constitutional procedure prescribed for impeachment.

Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution sets out a detailed process for removing a governor or deputy governor, including the required notice, investigation and voting thresholds.

Consequently, impeachment battles in Nigeria have often extended beyond the political arena into the courts.

The cases of Ladoja, Fayose, Peter Obi, Dariye and Nyako demonstrate how judicial intervention can fundamentally alter the outcome of a political impeachment.

For governors and state lawmakers alike, the history serves as a reminder that constitutional procedure remains central to the validity of impeachment proceedings in Nigeria.

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