The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara made a major political error by trying to establish his own political structure shortly after assuming office.
Speaking during a media chat in Port Harcourt on Saturday, August 1, Wike said Fubara should have focused on strengthening the political structure that brought him to power rather than attempting to create a separate base.
Wike, who governed Rivers State from 2015 to 2023, was instrumental in Fubara’s emergence as governor. However, the relationship between the two deteriorated soon after Fubara took office, leading to a prolonged political crisis that polarised the state’s political landscape.
During the crisis, lawmakers loyal to Wike initiated impeachment proceedings against Fubara before both camps eventually reached a truce. As part of the reconciliation process, Fubara withdrew from the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary after initially being screened alongside Wike ally Kingsley Chinda. The governor later endorsed Chinda as his preferred successor, saying the decision was taken to promote peace, unity and political stability in Rivers State.
Reflecting on the fallout, Wike said he had hoped Fubara would build on the foundation laid by his administration to position Rivers State alongside Lagos in terms of infrastructure and development. Instead, he claimed the governor sought to govern independently without acknowledging the political support that paved the way for his election.
Wike also accused Fubara of failing to distinguish between sincere political advice and counsel that could undermine his administration.
“In this game, you have schoolmates, village relations, and all kinds of people. There are those who will mean well for you. There are those who do not mean well for you.
“Now, you got to the office, someone now says to you, ‘Yes, he (Wike) has supported you and must things be in his name? Why not just try to put yourself? And let people know it came through you’. He made a mistake by saying that I can do it alone. Those who gave me support, I don’t care. I don’t need them.”
According to Wike, it became evident within Fubara’s first 100 days in office that the governor was attempting to build a new political structure instead of consolidating the one that brought him to power.
“He tried to set up his own structure as against the structure that built him. It did not take up to 100 days, we saw it. We said something must be fundamentally wrong. In politics, you have to be very careful.”
