Wike Reveals Why Fubara Will Allegedly Sit Out The 2027 Governorship Race

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has claimed that the political crisis in Rivers State has effectively ended Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s chances of seeking a second term in office.

Speaking during the August edition of his monthly media briefing, which was broadcast live on Channels Television on Tuesday, Wike blamed the development on what he described as poor political advice received by the governor and the influence of external interests allegedly seeking to control Rivers State.

Reflecting on his fallout with Fubara, the former Rivers State governor said he repeatedly warned his successor against abandoning the political structure that paved the way for his emergence in the 2023 governorship election.

“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,” Wike said.

He recalled inheriting an administration with limited resources, revealing that he had to borrow ceremonial vehicles from former Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko because there were no official vehicles available.

“When I came, I had to borrow vehicles from the former governor of Ondo, Mimiko, these parade vehicles. Nobody kept any vehicle; I didn’t have one vehicle,” he stated.

Wike added that before leaving office, he renovated the Government House and procured official vehicles for the governor, deputy governor and the governor’s wife.

“But before I left as governor, I packed out from Government House one and a half years before. I renovated Government House. I bought vehicles for the governor, the deputy governor and the governor’s wife. I did that,” he said.

According to the minister, he expected Fubara to build on the foundation laid by his administration instead of abandoning its political direction and development agenda.

“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?” he asked.

‘Those Who Opposed Him Became His Friends’

Wike alleged that some politicians who initially opposed Fubara’s emergence later became his close allies and encouraged him to challenge the political structure that brought him to power.

“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,” he said.

The FCT minister argued that while he had suffered no political setback from the crisis, Fubara had paid the greater price by jeopardising his re-election prospects.

“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,” Wike declared.

When asked whether he still cared about the governor despite their prolonged political rift, Wike responded, “If I don’t love him, why would we support him? That’s the point I’m making.”

Reconciliation Efforts Collapsed

Wike disclosed that both camps at one point explored reconciliation and agreed to put their differences behind them, but the effort eventually failed.

According to him, some political actors opposed the move because they believed reconciliation would diminish their political influence.

“There was a time we all thought, we all agreed, and said, ‘Look, can we allow bygones to be bygones?’ But something fundamental came up in politics.

“They said, ‘Look, if you allow this now, there are those who are here who want to see that we are no longer politically relevant,’” he said.

Although he did not identify those he accused of frustrating the peace process, Wike alleged that external forces were determined to take control of Rivers State because of its financial resources.

“There are external forces who want to hijack Rivers State. You don’t allow them to hijack Rivers State. There are those who see Rivers State as a cash cow,” he stated.

The minister further claimed that some unnamed Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), who had previously worked closely with his administration, later encouraged Fubara to distance himself from Wike’s political camp.

“I can tell you so many things happened. There are people, even some Senior Advocates of Nigeria, who you would never believe can play that kind of role, who were virtually living with us in government,” he alleged.

According to Wike, the advisers misled the governor by offering legal and political counsel that worsened the crisis.

“When this thing happened, they were so bitter that they started giving the governor wrong advice: ‘Don’t worry, the law says this, the law didn’t say this,’” he said.

‘Rivers Must Not Remain A Cash Cow’

Wike also alleged that some individuals backing Fubara provided private jets and other privileges to those advising the governor during the political standoff.

“They were sending them aircraft, then they would relax in the jet. To them, they were king.

“So, for him to continue to be there, they would exert that kind of influence,” he claimed.

The former Rivers governor insisted that his political camp resisted what he described as attempts by vested interests to continue benefiting from the state’s resources.

“We said no, this cash cow must end now. You won’t have it again. Take as much as you can, but you have to stop,” Wike stated.