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Former Rivers State Governor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has warned that publicly supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not automatically secure a second-term ticket for Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara in the 2027 governorship election.
Wike made the remarks over the weekend during a visit to Enohiya Local Government Area of Rivers State, in what many observers see as a fresh escalation of the long-running political feud between him and his successor.
Prolonged Political Crisis
Wike and Fubara have been embroiled in a bitter struggle for political dominance in Rivers State, a dispute that plunged the state into months of instability. The crisis reached a peak with the burning of the Rivers State House of Assembly complex and the subsequent declaration of a state of emergency by President Tinubu.
As the crisis deepened, 27 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers believed to be loyal to Wike reportedly defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), triggering multiple legal battles. In a related development, some caretaker committee chairmen aligned with Governor Fubara defected to the Action People’s Party (APP) ahead of the local government elections and went on to win the polls.
Tinubu’s Intervention and Alleged Peace Deal
At the height of the standoff, President Tinubu intervened, leading to reports of a peace agreement between Wike and Fubara. According to political sources, one of the alleged conditions of the settlement was that Governor Fubara would not seek re-election in 2027.
Following the expiration of the six-month state of emergency in September and the reinstatement of the deputy governor and state lawmakers, there were expectations that relative calm would return to the state.
Fubara’s Defection and Wike’s Response
Earlier this month, Governor Fubara defected from the PDP to the APC after meeting President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. He later formally announced his defection at a meeting with government officials at the Government House in Port Harcourt, pledging his loyalty and support to the President. His move came days after some members of the Rivers State House of Assembly also joined the APC.
However, reacting to the development during his visit to Enohiya LGA, Wike downplayed the political significance of such support, insisting it would not translate into an automatic electoral advantage.
“The issue is not whether you support Tinubu or not. That decision was taken long ago. Nobody needs to come here to tell me they are for Tinubu. Supporting Tinubu will not earn anyone a ticket,” Wike said.
He added that the Rivers State House of Assembly had already demonstrated its loyalty to the President, noting that the Tinubu factor was no longer a determining issue in the state’s political calculations.
“Who in Rivers State is not for Tinubu? That alone cannot guarantee anyone a ticket,” he stated.
Wike further accused some of those now publicly declaring support for the President of political inconsistency, recalling that they had previously challenged the Assembly in court and failed to support Tinubu during the elections.
“We have never wavered in our support for Bola Ahmed Tinubu. When we take decisions, we do so out of conviction, not because of what others are doing,” he said.
