The All Progressives Congress (APC) has explicitly cleared the air regarding Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, clarifying that he was neither disqualified nor forced out of its governorship primary race.
The ruling party firmly maintained that the governor voluntarily chose to withdraw after successfully scaling the party’s screening process.
The APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, made this disclosure on Monday during a live interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today. According to Yilwatda, Fubara followed all necessary protocols, including purchasing the party’s nomination forms and appearing before the screening committee, where he was fully cleared to contest.
The chairman added that the governor’s decision to step down ahead of the primaries was entirely his own.
“He pulled out; he stepped down. It is personal to him. He bought the forms, came for screening, passed the screening, and we were waiting for the primaries before he opted to step down,” Yilwatda stated.
The APC chairman went on to dismiss widespread rumors that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, had influenced the internal process or played a role in forcing Fubara out of the race.
When questioned directly on whether Wike had a hand in the outcome of the Rivers APC primary, Yilwatda pointed out that the former Rivers governor is not even a member of the ruling party.
“Wike is not in our party. He is in PDP,” he said.
Governor Fubara had earlier announced his withdrawal from the APC governorship primary race, framing the move as a necessary sacrifice to preserve peace, stability, and unity within the state ahead of the election next year.
“Let it be clearly understood that I stepped aside from participating in the upcoming River’s state Gubernatorial election not out of weakness, fear, or surrender, but out of conviction and sacrifice so that Rivers State may move forward in peace and unity and I remain committed to serving the good people of Rivers state till the end of my term,” Fubara said.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Nyesom Wike broke his silence regarding the intense political turbulence gripping Rivers State.
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While speaking with reporters during an inspection tour of major infrastructure projects across Abuja, the former Rivers State governor openly mocked Fubara’s sudden withdrawal from the APC governorship race while throwing his full weight behind the emergence of House of Representatives member Kingsley Chinda as the party’s flagbearer.
Wike further alleged that a secret political pact, brokered behind closed doors by President Bola Tinubu, underpinned the entire high-stakes drama.
He disclosed that Fubara had formally agreed to abandon his second-term ambition in exchange for the Rivers State House of Assembly dropping its active impeachment threats against him.
“By collecting the form first, he didn’t show signs of gentlemanship. He didn’t show that sign, and that was not expected. We thought that Mr President had been intervening severally and pleading with the legislature not to continue with impeachment,” Wike said.
