Actions taken by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to thwart the re-election attempt of his successor, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, seem to have faced a hindrance as numerous All Progressives Congress governors came together in support of the beleaguered Fubara.
Various sources within the APC reported on Monday that the rekindled tensions between Wike and Fubara were sparked by certain prominent APC governors’ choice to support Fubara’s bid for a second term, a situation that the FCT minister deemed unacceptable and strongly opposed.
The recent progress was further complicated by the APC leadership’s backing of Fubara, who seemed to have won over the party’s upper ranks, many of whom have been lauding his initiatives throughout the state.
Conflict reportedly arose when Wike’s loyal forces tried to support the former National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Samuel Anyanwu, as the next governor of Imo State without consulting Governor Hope Uzodimma.
The action allegedly enraged Uzodimma, who is also the chairman of the APC governors. After the development, several APC governors allegedly started to rally their fellow colleagues against the FCT minister.
“The plan is to weaken the FCT minister in his home state and reduce his influence and political power. This was further compounded by the fact that Wike is reportedly not favored by some powerful members of the Tinubu administration. So, some APC governors mobilized their colleagues to support Fubara, and the result is what is playing out in the form of the renewed hostilities between the two men,” a senior APC official told The PUNCH on Monday night.
Another source revealed that Fubara felt empowered by the APC governors’ pledged support for his re-election attempt, which fueled his willingness to confront the FCT minister’s political influence in the state.
Simultaneously, the APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, and Wike exchanged comments regarding Rivers politics and the minister’s firm stance against backing Fubara for another term.
Basiru, in a statement, urged the former Rivers State governor to step down from his ministerial role and concentrate on what he called his fixation with Rivers State politics.
He stated he was unbothered by what he referred to as subtle threats from the minister, affirming that his political experience had equipped him to resist intimidation.
In a one-on-one interview with The PUNCH, Basiru expressed his backing for Fubara during the ongoing clashes with Wike.
The APC scribe advised the South-South Chairman of the APC, Victor Giadom, to refrain from making negative comments about Fubara or any other governor, emphasizing that members of the party’s National Working Committee should remain neutral during political disputes.
Giadom stated that Fubara would not be able to succeed in the state without the backing of Wike.
Acknowledging that Wike is the sole influential political figure in Gokana LG, from which he originates, Giadom referred to the minister as a “reliable leader,” emphasizing that his impact in the LG is unmatched and critical for any political advancement or achievement in the region.
“I guarantee, on behalf of my brothers, that the Gokana people are for Wike and Tinubu, and nobody will challenge Wike’s influence in Gokana.
“Gokana is a ‘no-go area’ for anybody, even the so-called governor; for him to win anything in Gokana, he must pass through Wike,” the APC chieftain stated, a position that irritated Basiru, who, in a statement, berated Giadom for belittling Fubara.
Basiru, in a speech late last year during the opening of the newly finished Permanent Secretaries’ Quarters in the Elimgbu community of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area, urged the residents of Rivers State to unite in support of the ruling party and back President Bola Tinubu and Fubara in the upcoming 2027 general elections.
Basiru lauded Fubara for what he referred to as admirable governance efforts and effective project execution.
Wike, in his “thank-you” visit to the Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State on Monday, cautioned Basiru to avoid involvement in the state’s politics.
“Let me warn those who come to Rivers State: because you have heard that we have N600bn, you come here, you collect, and you open your mouth to talk anyhow.
“I say it here, take this message to your National Secretary: leave Rivers State alone. Go and ask those who have done it before. Please don’t take our support for Mr. President for granted. You have to be careful with the statements you make.
“Today, you are enjoying Osun; you don’t know those who did the work. You are opening your mouth to talk about Rivers State. Anything you see, take it.
“Go and ask other people what has happened to them before. If your hand burns, it’s not me who burnt it (I’m not the one who burnt it). This state is a no-go area. Take the one you have taken, and stop making unnecessary comments.”
In a statement he personally endorsed on Monday, Basiru addressed Wike’s remarks, asserting that the minister did not possess the power to meddle in the ruling party’s matters, emphasizing that Wike was not affiliated with the APC.
Basiru asserted that, contrary to Wike’s belief, he possessed the power to supervise APC matters nationwide as the party’s national secretary.
He said, “From my record, he isn’t a member of APC. I don’t see which authority or temerity he has to be dabbling in APC affairs.
“I am the National Secretary of APC, and I don’t see any basis for him to be making comments about my activities either in Rivers State or in any part of Nigeria.
“As the National Secretary of the party, my activities aren’t confined to Osun State, contrary to his wrong impression.
“I am the head of the National Secretariat of the APC. So, he has no locus whatsoever to engage me in any political activity that concerns the APC until he joins the party.”
Basiru also debunked allegations linking him to an alleged interest in Rivers State funds, describing the claims as baseless and inconsistent with his personal record.
“I take strong exception to his allusion that I am interested in the N600bn allocations of Rivers State. My records of service are those of integrity and commitment to service. I am not an opportunist, and I have never shied away from taking principled positions on any matter, no matter whose ox is gored.
“I am one of the young Nigerians who confronted military dictatorship. I can’t be bullied by anybody, no matter how highly placed. My records as National Secretary are above board, and I can’t be queried by somebody who isn’t a member of APC.’’
Fubara’s potential pursuit of a second term continues to be controversial due to the political crisis in the state, sparked by a conflict between him and his predecessor, Wike.
After Tinubu’s intervention, an agreement was allegedly made and endorsed by both sides. It was broadly reported that a critical element of the agreement was Fubara’s decision not to pursue re-election in 2027.
Nonetheless, Basiru seemed to provide fresh optimism to the governor, whom he referred to as one of the recent additions to the APC.
Following the political rifts with Wike, Fubara formally departed from the PDP and aligned with the ruling APC on December 9, a transition perceived as a significant political shift in preparation for the 2027 general elections.
The defection occurred soon after multiple significant members of the Rivers State House of Assembly also switched to the APC. Fubara’s move officially severed his enduring connections with the PDP and established him as the APC’s prominent leader in Rivers State.
Wike has dedicated the last week to attacking Fubara, alleging that he has not fulfilled agreements and doubting his chances for re-election.
The FCT minister further asserted that Fubara does not have the backing of the APC, stressing that he is being misguided and will not secure re-election as governor of the oil-rich state in 2027.
Supporting the minister, APC National Vice Chairman for the South-South Zone, Victor Giadom, voiced his backing for Wike, affirming that Fubara must face the former governor to achieve re-election.
Basiru admonished Wike against causing confusion in the ruling party, saying, “Finally, my advice to Nyesom Wike is that he cannot be in the Federal Executive Council of an APC government and be causing confusion within any organ or structure of the party at any level, using the leverage of that same office. The honorable thing to do is to resign his appointment as minister.’’
The APC chieftain stated that Wike’s alleged efforts to destabilize the ruling party in Rivers State would not be tolerated, adding that he cannot bring the practices of the PDP into the APC.
Basiru also stated that he would not be intimidated by Wike’s empty threats.
“As to his veiled threat against me, let me remind Wike that he is not God and may be overplaying his political card. My faith is in God, and I will not succumb to cheap threats such as the one from Wike. I am one of the young Nigerians who confronted military rule, fighting for democracy, when the likes of Wike were nowhere in sight.
“Let me also remind Nyesom Wike that his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu does not automatically make him a member of the APC. Millions of non-APC Nigerians also support Mr. President, and his own is no different. His attempt to destabilize our party in Rivers State will not be tolerated, and he cannot bring the spirit of PDP into the APC.”
In response to the disagreement between Basiru and Wike, Peter Ameh, National Secretary of the Coalition for United Political Party, commended the APC National Secretary for his courage, asserting that Wike was hindering governance in Rivers State and Nigeria overall.
Ameh stated, “He has been used by the APC in destroying his own party. Now he is no longer needed because the full gamut and structure of the party is now in the APC. So, what do they need him for? He is no longer needed. He has completed his assignment. The only thing he needs to do now is to join the APC and start taking instructions from the leader of the party, who is Fubara. He has to know that, based on the APC structure and their manifesto, the governor is the leader of the party.
“I do not cry or shed tears for either Fubara or for Wike. I think it is the game of President Tinubu, which he has played from day one, to make sure that he has two groups of people campaigning for him in River State, and to the detriment of the River State people who are supposed to be beneficiaries of good governance.’’
In Wike’s defense, Dr. Chidi Lloyd, a former Chairman of Emuoha LGA, Rivers State, said Basiru couldn’t demand Wike’s resignation, saying it was the President who appointed him.
“He wasn’t the one who appointed the minister of the FCT and cannot ask him to resign. I wish he could have said so before the 2023 elections. I wonder how many votes he gave to the All Progressives Congress in the State of Osun. You know, people forget easily. When they come to collect dollars, they forget where we are coming from.
’So, it’s normal, but I don’t want to believe that such a statement emanated from him. But it could be dollars because for you to get the attention of the Governor of Rivers State, you must abuse Nyesom Wike. And he forgets how the person he is talking to now, who has become his friend overnight, emerged as governor.”
Also, Chimelem Wodi, an ally of the former Rivers governor, dismissed the APC scribe’s statement, arguing that only the president could ask Wike to resign.
“He has no right to say what he has said because he is not even active in his party. So, he has no such powers, and I think he is trying to incur the wrath of Rivers’ people and well-meaning citizens of the state who collectively backed the FCT minister to represent them.
“Again, the FCT minister has not committed any crime or anything whatsoever that will make Mr. President disqualify him. The president has on several occasions said the FCT minister is a good man and a performer. Today, if you are talking about the best minister so far in terms of performance, Wike has done very well. So, I think the APC secretary is just a busybody,” he noted.
Also, prominent Niger Delta activist and member of the Rivers State Elders Forum, Ann Kio-Briggs, took a swipe at Wike over his recent comments against Fubara.
Kio-Briggs described the minister’s vow not to allow Fubara to seek reelection in 2027 as both a threat to Rivers State and the people and therefore unacceptable.
She said, “Let me put it like this: Nyesom Wike is a former governor of Rivers State. He is a son of Rivers State. Wike is the Minister of the Federal Capital and a member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party. Nobody can claim that any one individual has 100 percent support in any state in Nigeria, in any place in the world.
“You cannot have 100 percent support even when you put a gun to somebody’s head; the support is not 100 percent.
“The minister is not the owner of Rivers State. He doesn’t own Rivers State, and he doesn’t own the people of Rivers State. At least, given this preamble, nobody can claim that the present governor is not the governor of Rivers State; nobody can claim how many people can vote for him or cannot vote for him. But as of today, the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has the majority of votes of the people of Rivers State.”
Speaking on the FCT minister’s moves to stop Fubara from contesting the 2027 polls, Kio-Briggs added, “It’s almost like a threat that Siminalayi Fubara is not going to come back; it’s actually a threat to Rivers State itself, and it is also a threat to the people of Rivers State themselves, and it is not acceptable.
“It is unfair to the people of Rivers State who are being put through this because of political ambition. The people of Rivers State that I know and that I’m in touch with as of today, the majority of the people, are in support of the present Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara.
“And what I know is that what the Rivers people want is peace. We want peace in our state, and the people of Rivers State want to be allowed to choose a man or woman of their choice, and if at the end of the day Sir Siminalayi Fubara is the choice of the people, it is only if God allows anybody that they can overturn that choice of the people.
“But I think that any true son or daughter of Rivers State should want peace and tranquillity in our state, no matter the political party you belong to.”
