Turning to Fubara for Political Survival

Over the past month, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has intensified several meetings with Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his supporters to consolidate reconciliation between their political camps ahead of the 2027 general election. But will the rapprochement work? Davidson Iriekpen asks It won’t be wrong to describe the current situation between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, as a case of the rejected stone emerging as the cornerstone. With Wike’s recent meetings with the governor, one can only deduce that the powerful minister is eating the humbling pie by his moves to get Fubara to play a crucial role in the Rainbow Coalition he set up to reelect President Bola Tinubu and install Kingsley Chinda as governor in 2027. The latest sign of Wike’s desperation was seen in the past week when the minister again led members of the State House of Assembly and the 23 local government chairmen in the state to a fresh meeting with the governor in continuation of the efforts to consolidate reconciliation between both political camps. The Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the state, Chinda, were among those who accompanied Wike to the meeting. The meeting, held at Fubara’s private residence in Port Harcourt, came barely two weeks after political leaders loyal to both men met at the same venue. At the meeting, Wike urged supporters of Fubara to mobilise voters and ensure the state ranks among the top three states with the highest votes for President Tinubu in the 2027 elections. He said a strong electoral performance for Tinubu would position the South-south state for more federal appointments, infrastructure development and greater political influence at the national level. “All I want to hear in this state is Tinubu and nothing but Tinubu. If we play the role we are playing now, and we are one of the first three states that get the highest number of votes, we will get more of the appointments,” he said. The 2027 presidential election particularly, means a lot to Wike. Recall that recently, he public declared why Tinubu must win the poll because, according him, if Atiku Abubakar or Peter Obi wins the election, they would come after him. To understand why the minister’s latest move has caught critics’ attention one has to trace the origin of the political feud between him and Fubara. They once had a godfather and godson relationship until Fubara decided to be a man in control of his government and not another stooge. What he however didn’t anticipate was the power that Wike wields. Wike, who is no ordinary godfather, went to great lengths to humiliate the governor. Their disagreement, which began shortly after Fubara assumed office in 2023, triggered a protracted political crisis that divided the Rivers State House of Assembly. Tensions escalated in October 2023, when a fire incident damaged part of the assembly complex amid the dispute between both camps. Lawmakers loyal to Wike subsequently initiated impeachment proceedings against Fubara, deepening the confrontation between the executive and legislative arms of government. The crisis eventually led President Tinubu to declare a six-month emergency in Rivers State in March 2025, resulting in the suspension of the governor, his deputy and members of the state assembly. Wike had recently announced an end to the feud, saying Fubara had agreed to return to the political family that supported his emergence as governor. This was the same governor he made sure that the APC screened out of the ruling party’s primary election, forcing him to withdraw from the race. Chinda subsequently emerged as the APC’s sole candidate for the governorship election. Therefore, it is so ironic that the same FCT minister is desperately in need of Fubara, whom he had repeatedly denigrated and attempted to remove from office on many occasions. Last Monday, the intense troubleshooting efforts by Wike with Fubara continued, with the state assembly reversing its earlier decision to declare the seats of three lawmakers who supported the state governor vacant. At the assembly’s sitting, the 27 lawmakers led by Amaewhule resolved not only to rescind its threat against the Fubara-backed lawmakers, but to readmit them within their fold. This is a decision seen as critical to the peace process, which has since begun between the two camps. The pro-Fubara lawmakers, whose seats were earlier marked to be declared vacant, included Victor Oko-Jumbo, representing Bonny Constituency; Sokari Goodboy Sokari, Ahoada West; and Orubienimigha Timothy, Opobo/Nkoro Constituency. The assembly’s decision followed letters dated October 16, 2026 from the three lawmakers, which were read on the floor of the assembly during plenary. In the letter, the lawmakers requested that they be called back into the assembly to continue their legislative duties. It would be recalled that the assembly had, on October 30, 2023, in the heat of the political crisis, suspended the three lawmakers alongside Hon. Edison Ehie for alleged misconduct. Ehie, who later became the Chief of Staff to the governor, had resigned his membership of the assembly in the heat of the crisis, allowing for a by-election in his constituency. The trio’s suspension was, however, lifted on December 20, 2023, after the first peace meeting initiated by President Tinubu between Wike and Governor Fubara. But following the failure of the three lawmakers to attend sittings after their suspension was lifted, their seats were then declared vacant on October 15, 2025, by the Amaewhule-led assembly in line with section 109 sub 1 (e) of the Constitution. The assembly had consequently written to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a by-election to fill the vacant seats. But during last Monday’s plenary, Speaker Amaewhule read the letters from each of the three lawmakers explaining that they never saw the letter lifting their suspension earlier, which was the reason they didn’t attend the sitting and appealed for the House to rescind its decision. The assembly’s decision might not be unconnected with Sunday’s meeting between Wike, the lawmakers, Chairmen of Local Government Areas and other leaders of the coalition with Governor Fubara and members of his team. The lingering question, however, is: Can Fubara genuinely reconcile with a man who, on many occasions, publicly denigrated and humiliated him, attempted to impeach him, instigated his suspension for six months, denied him a second term in office, replaced his local government officials, and denied his loyalists tickets to contest House of Assembly seats? Political analysts believe this is a delicate path to reconciliation – one that the governor must be strategic about and tread smartly. There is no doubt that the peace talks are largely driven by Wike’s political interests, particularly now that he has been assigned to lead President Tinubu’s re-election campaign. They may also be aimed at limiting the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC)’s impact on the presidential and governorship elections in Rivers. How this will pan out, however, remains to be seen. If Fubara accepts the olive branch and supports Wike’s campaign, some may interpret his actions as a sign of weakness. But if he plays his cards well, he could emerge with more than one political victory.