The southern Nigerian oil state of Bayelsa accused its deputy governor of misconduct on Tuesday, deepening a political standoff and heightening the risk of unrest ahead of elections next year.
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Police bolstered security around Government House and the House of Assembly in the state capital Yenagoa as parliament met to serve an impeachment notice on Deputy Governor Peremobowei Ebebi, without detailing the accusations of misconduct.
“I have received a document signed by 17 house members calling for the impeachment of the deputy state governor, and by this … we hereby serve an impeachment notice,” state parliament speaker Werinipre Seibarogu said.
Ebebi could not immediately be reached for comment.
Bayelsa is one of three main states in the oil-producing Niger Delta, a restive region where thousands of former militants are awaiting retraining and reintegration following a government amnesty program last year.
Kidnapping and bunkering — the theft of industrial quantities of crude oil — has risen around the Niger Delta in recent months as the ex-militants seek alternative sources of income. Analysts fear the region could be a flashpoint in the run-up to nationwide elections due by April.
Tensions have been high for months in Bayelsa due to political rivalry between Governor Timipre Sylva and Ebebi, whose supporters would like to remove Sylva from office.
A car exploded close to a guesthouse owned by Ebebi in Yenagoa a month ago, but there were no casualties and no claim of responsibility.
That blast came a month and a half after two car bombs were detonated outside a government building in the neighboring state of Delta, where talks were being held about implementing the amnesty program.