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The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has opened up on the deep-rooted political crisis in Rivers State, explaining why Governor Siminalayi Fubara was ultimately denied the opportunity to seek a second term.
Wike made these revelations during his monthly media chat broadcast live on Channels Television on Tuesday.
Reflecting on his fallout with his estranged political successor, the FCT minister pointed fingers at poor counsel from political associates and the interference of external interests.
According to Wike, he repeatedly cautioned Fubara against abandoning the established political structure that ushered him into office:“I said, look, don’t derail. I came as governor, I had crisis. When I came as governor, there was nothing. They didn’t even relocate the Government House… Somebody had laid a foundation. Look, this is where I stopped. If you continue this way, our dream is to be able to compete with Lagos. What is wrong with that?”
Wike alleged that individuals who initially opposed Fubara’s emergence as governor later crept in as close allies, instigating a conflict with his political benefactors for their own selfish gains.
“Somebody comes, and that’s why you have to be careful. Those who didn’t want you to be governor now became your friends. Obviously, they will destroy you, thinking that coming closer to you is to fight us,” Wike stated.
The former Rivers governor further claimed that external forces—including some Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs)—virtually lived within the government to exploit the state’s resources, describing Rivers State as a targeted “cash cow.”
He noted that these external actors fed the governor misleading legal advice to fuel the confrontation.
Addressing the outcome of the protracted power struggle, which saw tensions escalate from legislative friction to a declaration of a state of emergency and subsequent political shifts, Wike remarked on the ultimate loss for the governor:“At the end of the fight, I have not lost anything. What have I lost? Nothing. But you have lost. Your intention was to go for a second term, is it not correct? And you are not going.”
When questioned about his feelings toward Fubara, Wike maintained that underlying support remained, despite the fractured relationship.
The political impasse, which began shortly after Fubara assumed office in 2023, saw various twists including a brief suspension of governance, a defection to the APC, subsequent withdrawal from primary races, and Fubara’s eventual alignment with the Wike-led Rainbow Coalition to back consensus objectives.
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