Nigerian Governors Impeached from Office Since 1999

Before President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspended Governor Simnilayi Fubara and others due to a political crisis, there were talks about impeaching Governor Fubara.

If he had been impeached, he would have joined a list of Nigerian governors who have been removed from office since 1999. 

Here are some of those governors and why they were impeached:

Diepreye Alamieyeseigha  

He was the first elected governor of Bayelsa State after Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999. He was impeached in 2005 due to accusations of stealing public money and other corrupt activities. He later admitted to some of these charges and was sent to prison.

Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja  

He was the governor of Oyo State from 2003 to 2006. Ladoja was removed from office by lawmakers but got his position back later that year. He served until 2007. Ladoja said he was impeached because he didn’t support the former president’s attempt to run for a third term.

Ayo Fayose 

Elected as governor of Ekiti State in 2003, Fayose was impeached in 2006 over claims of financial mismanagement and corruption. The Supreme Court later said the impeachment was wrong. Fayose claimed he hid during the impeachment because he was afraid for his life.

Peter Obi 

Before running for president in 2023, Obi was a governor of Anambra State. He was impeached in 2006, just six months after taking office, supposedly because he refused to misuse the state’s budget. His impeachment was overturned by the Court of Appeal, and he was reinstated in 2007.

Joshua Dariye

As governor of Plateau State, Dariye was impeached in 2006 but was brought back to office after the Supreme Court ruled the impeachment was not valid. He was accused of laundering money. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission also accused him of misusing state funds.

Murtala Nyako 

The governor of Adamawa State was impeached in 2014. He was accused of stealing more than N17 billion, illegally cutting state workers’ salaries and misusing funds. He was removed from office a month after the impeachment notice.