Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara publicly declared his alignment with the Rainbow Coalition, backed President Bola Tinubu for a second term, and designated Kingsley Chinda as his choice for the state’s next governor.
He shared the decision on Wednesday during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Rivien Medical Industry in Rumuosi, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area. In a viral clip, Fubara confirmed his return to his core political network and urged his followers to rally behind the Nyesom Wike-led coalition.
During a foundation-laying event for the Rivien Medical Industry project in Rumuosi, Obio/Akpor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara formally endorsed the Rainbow Coalition, threw his weight behind President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 reelection bid, and tapped Kingsley Chinda as his successor.
Footage from the address shows the Rivers State governor announcing a reunion with his political roots while calling on his supporters to join the political alliance headed by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
“We have made peace in the state. And I am supporting our rainbow party, or rainbow coalition,” he said.
Declaring for Tinubu’s second-term bid, Fubara said, “President Ahmed Bola Tinubu is our president, and he’s the one we are supporting.”
He also added, “Oke Chinda is the governorship candidate that I am supporting. And anybody who believes in me will support every candidate that is under the rainbow.”
Fubara advised his followers against delaying their entry into the coalition until offered political positions or perks, emphasizing that he had already made peace with Wike’s political faction.
The governor called on his supporters to embrace the coalition immediately rather than holding out for political appointments, noting that his reconciliation with Wike’s camp was already a settled matter.
“For those of you who are saying, ‘Fubara, let’s stay, we want to collect something before we run,’ there is nothing to collect.
“I am already in the family. I’ve gone back to our family. So please, wherever you are, give your total support to that coalition.
Backstory…
Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s reported support for the Wike-led Rainbow Coalition marks another dramatic turn in Rivers State’s prolonged political crisis, which began shortly after he assumed office in 2023.
Once regarded as the political protégé of former Rivers State Governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, Fubara later fell out with his predecessor in a power struggle that split the state’s political structure.
The rift triggered a wave of defections, impeachment threats, legal disputes and a fierce battle for control of the Rivers State House of Assembly, drawing repeated intervention from the Presidency and the courts.
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