FILE Copy: Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara
Moves by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to scuttle the 2027 re-election bid of his successor, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, appear to have suffered a setback as several All Progressives Congress governors rallied behind the embattled Fubara.
Multiple sources in the APC confirmed to The PUNCH on Monday that the renewed hostilities between Wike and Fubara were ignited by some top APC governors’ decision to back Fubara’s second term bid, a development the FCT minister found galling and is bitterly opposed to.
The latest development was further compounded by the APC leadership’s endorsement of Fubara, who appeared to have endeared himself to the party’s top echelons, many of whom have been praising his projects across the state.
Trouble reportedly started when forces loyal to Wike attempted to back the erstwhile National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Samuel Anyanwu, as the next governor of Imo State without consulting Governor Hope Uzodimma.
The move reportedly infuriated Uzodimma, who is also the Chairman of the APC governors. Following the development, some APC governors reportedly began to mobilise other 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 favoured by some powerful members of the Tinubu administration. So, some APC governors mobilised 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 insider disclosed that Fubara had been emboldened by the promised backing of the APC governors for his re-election bid, hence his readiness to challenge the FCT minister’s political strength in the state.
Meanwhile, the APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, and Wike on Monday traded words over Rivers politics and the minister’s insistence that he would not support Fubara for a second term.
Basiru, in a statement, asked the ex-Rivers State governor to resign his ministerial position and focus on what he described as his obsession with Rivers State politics.
He said he was unfazed by what he termed veiled threats from the minister, insisting that his political background had prepared him to withstand intimidation.
Basiru had, in an exclusive interview with Sunday PUNCH, declared support for Fubara amid ongoing confrontations between him and Wike.
The APC scribe also cautioned the South-South Chairman of the APC, Victor Giadom, against derogatory remarks about Fubara or any other governor, stating that members of the National Working Committee of the party should not take sides in political crisis.
Giadom had said Fubara could not succeed in the state without Wike’s support.
While noting that Wike is the only dominant political figure in Gokana LG where he hails from, Giadom described the minister as a “dependable leader”, adding that his influence in the LG remained unchallenged and essential for any political inroad or success in the area.
“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, while speaking late last year, during the inauguration of the newly completed Permanent Secretaries’ Quarters at Elimgbu community in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area, called on the people of Rivers State to rally behind the ruling party and support President Bola Tinubu and Governor Fubara in the 2027 general elections.
Basiru also praised Fubara for what he described as commendable governance strides and quality project delivery.
However, Wike, during his “thank-you” visit to Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State on Monday, warned Basiru to steer clear of 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 in 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, no be me burn am o (I’m not the now who burnt them). This state is a no-go area. Take the one you have taken, stop making unnecessary comments.”
Responding to Wike’s comments in a statement he personally signed on Monday, Basiru said the minister lacked the authority to interfere in the affairs of the ruling party, stressing that Wike was not a member of the APC.
Basiru maintained that contrary to Wike’s impression, he had the authority to oversee affairs of the APC across the country as the national secretary of the party.
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 dismissed 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.’’
The prospect of Fubara seeking a second term has remained contentious following the political crisis in the state, which was triggered by a rift between the governor and Wike, his predecessor.
Following the intervention of Tinubu, a resolution was reportedly reached and signed by both parties. It was widely reported that a key aspect of the agreement was that Fubara would not seek re-election in 2027.
However, Basiru appeared to offer renewed hope to the governor, whom he described as one of the latest entrants into the APC.
Sequel to the political disagreements with Wike, Fubara officially left the PDP and joined the ruling APC on December 9, a move widely seen as a major political realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The defection came shortly after several key members of the Rivers State House of Assembly also defected to the APC. Fubara’s switch effectively ended his long-standing ties with the PDP and positioned him as the APC’s leading figure in Rivers State.
In response, Wike has spent the past week criticising Fubara, accusing him of failing to honour agreements and questioning his prospects for re-election.
The FCT minister also claimed that Fubara lacked the support of the APC, insisting that he is being misled and would not win re-election as governor of the oil-rich state in 2027.
Backing the minister, APC National Vice Chairman for the South-South Zone, Victor Giadom, expressed support for Wike, stating that Fubara must contend with the former governor to secure 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 honourable thing to do is to resign his appointment as minister.’’
The APC scribe stated that Wike’s alleged efforts to destabilise the ruling party in Rivers State would not be tolerated, adding that he cannot bring the practices of the PDP into the APC.
Basiru added 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 destabilise our party in Rivers State will not be tolerated, and he cannot bring the spirit of PDP into the APC.”
Reacting to the spat between Basiru and Wike, the Coalition for United Political Party National Secretary, Peter Ameh, praised the APC National Secretary for his boldness, claiming that Wike was undermining governance in both Rivers State and Nigeria as a whole.
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.’’
Defending Wike, 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 minister, 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 whatsoever that will make Mr President disqualify him. Mr 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.
In a related development, the Rivers State deputy governor, Prof. Ngozi Odu and the Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Dr Benibo Anabraba, have resigned their membership of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Odu formally registered as a member of the APC in her ward in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of the state.
