On November 2, 2006, members of the Anambra State House of Assembly, impeached Governor Peter Obi on allegations of gross misconduct.
The impeachment, reportedly carried out at about 5:00 a.m. to 5:30 a.m., came barely seven months after Obi assumed office on March 17, 2006, following the Court of Appeal’s nullification of Dr. Chris Ngige’s election.
The House, which accused the governor of gross misconduct, voted to remove him from office, sparking immediate political tension across the state.
Obi was subsequently replaced by his deputy, Mrs. Virginia Etiaba, who was sworn in on November 3, 2006, making history as Nigeria’s first-ever female governor.
The removal was widely perceived as politically motivated, linked to the governor’s alleged resistance to pressures from political stakeholders to inflate contracts and the state’s budget.
Obi challenged his removal in court and was reinstated on February 9, 2007, by the Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu, in a landmark judgment that affirmed the judiciary’s power of review over legislative actions.
