Amidst increasing tensions between Siminalayi Fubara, the governor of Rivers State, and Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, top leaders of the All Progressives Congress have declared their support for Fubara.
In an interview with Sunday PUNCH, Ajibola Basiru, the APC’s national secretary, stated that Fubara has the party’s complete support for his reelection bid.
On December 9, Fubara left the Peoples Democratic Party to join the ruling APC, a move that many saw as a political realignment for his desire to serve a second term.
His defection came shortly after 17 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly also joined the APC.
Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, the APC’s national chairman, also proclaimed Fubara to be the party’s leader in the state. Yilwatda, who spoke on Channels Television’s Hard Copy programme aired on Friday, said, “Governor Fubara is the leader of the APC in Rivers State, but he would need to coordinate with every other person in the state.”
Renewed rift
Tension between the governor and Wike increased when the governor defected, as the FCT minister stated that even under the APC, Fubara’s second term was not assured.
The FCT minister had warned against what he called “opportunistic politics” and accused Fubara of violating their peace deal.
Wike had maintained that Fubara’s defection to the APC did not elevate the governor to the position of party leader in the state during his monthly media briefing.
He boasted that he was still in charge of Rivers politics and that his loyalists were in charge of the state’s ward systems and local governments.
Read Also: Fubara Suffers Setback as Rivers Ijaw Congress Withdraws Support, Pledges Allegiance Wike
“The only reason the dog barks is when it doesn’t understand. We know where we are going and have set all the things that are needed to make the journey smooth,” he added.
Wike can’t decide for APC – Party official
The FCT minister, according to an APC national source, was unable to decide the governor’s fate.
Due to the delicate nature of the situation, the top official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, insisted that Wike’s claim to have Rivers State in his pocket was untrue.
“Wike is just unnecessarily agitating himself because ultimately, the decision on Rivers will be that of the President, not him. Wike is not as popular as he is claiming to be. He lost his polling unit in the last election; he lost to the Labour Party. He is just lucky that the President won and felt that he (Wike) was useful to tackle the opposition. It was a tough one winning Rivers State.
“Fubara is a governor of the APC, and the Governors’ Forum of the APC is always a major support for the party. By the rules of our party, we are going to respect the governors and give them the necessary support,” he said.
The official stated that the APC would not impose candidates when asked if Fubara would receive an automatic ticket for a second term.
However, the national officer clarified that any governor running for reelection would have a better chance than new candidates.
“The dynamics are always in favour of a sitting governor who is contesting as an incumbent. It is an elementary political thing, unless maybe critical stakeholders at the national level feel otherwise. An incumbent governor stands a better chance than people who are just coming from outside to challenge.
“As far as Rivers is concerned, the state is more or less becoming a one-party state for APC. Even in Ekiti State, some people purchased forms to contest against the governor, but some of them did not scale through proper nomination. The others that scaled through stepped down, and the governor was adopted as a consensus candidate,” he added.
We will support Fubara, others – APC
Speaking about the issue, Basiru informed one of our reporters that the party supported Fubara.
He pointed out that the National Working Committee of the APC was tasked with mobilising the governors and fortifying the party’s national organisation.
According to Basiru, the party would back Fubara.
He said, “He is running the government, building projects and commissioning projects. As somebody who is a member of our party, the party must identify with him. And that is why we identify with him. So, whatever other politics there are, I do not want to get involved.
Wike has no power to block Fubara’s re-election – Rivers elders
Speaking about the situation, Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, a pioneer spokesperson for the Pan Niger Delta Forum and member of the state Elders and Leaders Council, charged Wike with trying to obstruct Fubara’s political prospects.
He insisted that the people of the state, not any political figure, make the ultimate decision and cautioned Wike against meddling in their destiny.
He claimed that Wike’s activities had continuously caused conflict both inside and beyond his party and accused him of undermining the state’s democratic processes.
Fubara, a mistake that should not happen again – Wike
However, the FCT minister has insisted that Fubara will not be re-elected as the state governor.
Speaking to hundreds of his supporters during his Saturday visit to the state’s Okrika Local Government Area, Wike called Fubara a political “mistake” that should not be repeated and promised to thwart any attempt to re-elect the governor.
The FCT minister cautioned that switching to the APC would not ensure an automatic ticket, even though he did not specifically identify the governor.
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