Former Rivers State Governor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has stated that backing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not guarantee Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara a return ticket for the 2027 governorship election
Wike made the remarks over the weekend during a visit to Emohua Local Government Area, in what observers see as a fresh escalation in the longstanding political feud between him and his successor.
The two leaders have been engaged in a fierce struggle for political dominance in Rivers State, a conflict that previously led to the burning of the State House of Assembly complex and the declaration of a six-month state of emergency by President Tinubu.
The crisis also triggered the reported defection of 27 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers loyal to Wike to the All Progressives Congress (APC), sparking a series of court battles. In addition, some caretaker committee chairmen aligned with Governor Fubara defected to the Action People’s Party (APP) ahead of local government elections and subsequently won their polls.
At the peak of the crisis, President Tinubu reportedly mediated a peace agreement between Wike and Fubara, with sources claiming that one of the conditions was that Fubara would not contest the 2027 governorship election.
Following the end of the state of emergency in September and the reinstatement of the deputy governor and state lawmakers, there were hopes for a return to political stability in Rivers.
Earlier this month, Fubara formally defected from the PDP to the APC after meeting President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. He later announced his defection at the Government House in Port Harcourt, pledging his support for the President. The move came shortly after some members of the state assembly also joined the APC.
During his Emohua LGA visit, Wike downplayed the political significance of such support, emphasizing that backing Tinubu does not translate into automatic political 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, “The Rivers State House of Assembly has done its job. They were the first in Nigeria to declare that, on your mandate, they would stand. So the Tinubu issue is no longer an issue. Do you understand me? Who in Rivers State is not for Tinubu? That alone cannot guarantee anyone a ticket.
“The same people who recently made public declarations are the same ones who took the Assembly to court, seeking to have their seats declared vacant. All those now chanting ‘on your mandate we stand’ failed when it mattered most. They could not vote for Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“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.”
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