Wike Reveals Why Fubara Lost Chance of Second Term

(Nyesom Wike, Siminalayi Fubara. Photo Credit: PM News)

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said the political crisis in Rivers State denied Governor Siminalayi Fubara the opportunity to seek a second term, attributing it to what he described as poor advice from political associates and external interests.

Wike made the remarks during the August edition of his monthly media chat, aired on a television programme on Tuesday, while reflecting on his relationship with his estranged political ally.

He said he had repeatedly advised Fubara not to abandon the political structure that brought him to power, recalling that when he himself became governor, he inherited an administration with virtually nothing, noting that even the Government House had not been properly set up.

He recounted having to borrow ceremonial vehicles from former Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko, as there were none available to him at the time.

He added that before leaving office, he had renovated the Government House and procured vehicles for the governor, deputy governor and the governor's wife, roughly a year and a half before his tenure ended.

Wike said he had expected Fubara to build on the foundation he left behind rather than abandon it, questioning why the successor administration could not continue working toward the shared goal of making Rivers State competitive with Lagos.

The FCT minister alleged that individuals who had originally opposed Fubara's emergence as governor later became close allies of his and encouraged him to confront his political benefactors, describing this as a deliberate attempt by his opponents to destabilise the relationship.

He argued that while he personally had lost nothing in the disagreement, Fubara had lost his chance at a second term, which he said had originally been his intention.

Asked whether he still held affection for Fubara, Wike responded that their continued support for him was proof of that.

He disclosed that efforts had been made at some point to reconcile both camps, with an understanding reached to let bygones be bygones, but said the arrangement collapsed after concerns emerged that reconciliation could render some political actors irrelevant.

Wike further alleged that external interests had sought to take control of Rivers State for financial gain, claiming that certain individuals, including some senior lawyers, had been closely embedded within the state government and had encouraged the governor to resist his political structure once tensions arose.

He alleged that such persons offered Fubara advice suggesting he was legally protected, while enjoying access to privileges such as private jets, and that his camp ultimately resolved to end what he described as the exploitation of Rivers State's resources by such interests.

The prolonged disagreement between Wike and Fubara began shortly after Fubara assumed office in 2023, when Wike accused his successor of moving too quickly to dismantle the political structure that produced him and build an independent base within his first 100 days in office.

The power struggle escalated into open conflict involving the Rivers State House of Assembly, repeated impeachment threats against the governor by lawmakers loyal to Wike, and a six-month state of emergency declared by President Bola Tinubu in March 2025, which temporarily suspended Fubara and the legislature.

After his reinstatement, Fubara defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress, citing the need to express gratitude to Tinubu for intervening in the crisis.

He later obtained nomination forms to contest the APC governorship primaries for a second term but withdrew in May 2026, a move Wike and others have linked to earlier peace arrangements under which the governor reportedly agreed not to seek re-election in exchange for the withdrawal of impeachment moves against him.

In July 2026, Fubara publicly declared that he had returned to the political family that brought him to power, joined the Wike-led Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party alliance backing Tinubu, and endorsed the coalition's preferred governorship candidate.