Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has warned that his political career would suffer “irreparable damage” if Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, secures a second term in office. Wike made the statement on Saturday while addressing stakeholders at a meeting in Okrika Local Government Area of the state.
Although he did not mention Fubara by name, the former Rivers governor said a firm decision had already been taken ahead of the 2027 governorship election. “We have made a decision as far as Tinubu is concerned. The other one (Fubara’s re-election), no way,” Wike said. He added: “Because if we make another mistake, then we will go and bury ourselves politically. I will not allow myself to be buried. I will not allow that mistake again… So everybody should know we have made a decision.
Wike has stepped up criticism of Fubara since the governor defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) last month, accusing him of breaching the terms of a peace agreement reached before the lifting of emergency rule in the state, which facilitated Fubara’s return to office. Earlier in the week, the FCT minister described the situation in Rivers as a “leadership mistake” that would be corrected in 2027.
“We will not make the same mistake again at the state level in 2027, but we will talk about it later when the time comes,” he said, urging leaders to place the will of the people above personal interests. At a separate stakeholders’ meeting in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area on Friday, Wike dismissed claims that Fubara’s support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would guarantee his re-election.
“If you played well with the first one and succeeded, do you think you can succeed with the second one? There cannot be two markets in one day,” he said. Warning against assurances that backing Tinubu alone would secure another term, Wike said: “So, whoever is assuring you that everything will be fine once you sign on your mandate, you are mistaken.”
He stressed that support for the president was unanimous, adding, “All of us have decided to work for Bola Ahmed Tinubu. There is no discussion about that.” Questioning Fubara’s leadership, Wike said:
“Someone who cannot relate with the local government chairmen, state assembly members and national assembly members, what kind of leadership do you want to provide?” He also rejected the governor’s reported New Year remarks dismissing his comments as “noise,” insisting that Fubara owed his emergence as governor to him despite lacking broad popularity at the time.
