2027: Why Fubara lost second-term bid – Wike

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Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared that the political crisis in Rivers State has effectively ended Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s chances of securing a second term in office.

Speaking during the August edition of his monthly media chat, broadcast live on Channels Television on Tuesday, Wike attributed the development to what he described as poor political advice given to the governor by his associates and the influence of external interests allegedly seeking control of Rivers State.

The former Rivers State governor said he repeatedly warned Fubara against abandoning the political structure that brought him to power in 2023.

According to Wike, he also encountered challenges when he assumed office as governor but chose to build on the existing foundation rather than destroy it.

“I told him not to derail. When I became governor, I also faced my own challenges. There was practically nothing in Government House when I assumed office,” he said.

Wike recalled inheriting an administration with limited resources, revealing that he had to borrow ceremonial vehicles from former Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko, because there were no official vehicles available.

“When I came in, I had to borrow parade vehicles from Mimiko. There wasn’t even a single official vehicle available,” he stated.

He added that before leaving office, he renovated the Government House and purchased official vehicles for the governor, deputy governor and the governor’s wife.

“I moved out of Government House about one and a half years before leaving office after renovating it. I also bought vehicles for the governor, the deputy governor and the governor’s wife,” he said.

Wike maintained that his expectation was for Fubara to consolidate on the achievements of his administration rather than depart from its political direction.

“Somebody had already laid a foundation. My expectation was that he would continue from where we stopped so Rivers could compete with Lagos. There is nothing wrong with that,” he added.

The minister alleged that politicians who initially opposed Fubara’s emergence as governor later became his close associates and encouraged him to confront the political structure that supported his election.

“Those who never wanted him to become governor suddenly became his friends. Naturally, they wanted to destroy him by turning him against those who supported him,” Wike said.

He insisted that while he had suffered no political setback from the crisis, Fubara had paid the greater price.

“I have not lost anything from this fight. But he has. His ambition was to seek a second term, but that is no longer going to happen,” he declared.

Asked whether he still cared about the governor despite their prolonged disagreement, Wike replied that his support for Fubara in the first place was proof of his goodwill.

“If I didn’t care about him, why would we have supported him in the first place?” he asked.

The FCT minister also disclosed that efforts were made to reconcile the opposing political camps but claimed the initiative collapsed because some individuals feared losing their political relevance if peace was restored.

“There was a time we all agreed that we should let bygones be bygones. But some people argued that reconciliation would make them politically irrelevant,” he said.

Wike further alleged that external forces were attempting to take control of Rivers State because of its financial resources.

“There are external interests that want to hijack Rivers State. We cannot allow that because some people see the state as a cash cow,” he said.

He also claimed that some Senior Advocates of Nigeria who had maintained close ties with his administration later advised Fubara to resist his political camp.

“I can tell you many things happened. There were even some Senior Advocates of Nigeria who were very close to our government but later began giving the governor the wrong legal and political advice,” he alleged.

According to Wike, those advisers encouraged Fubara to ignore reconciliation efforts by assuring him that the law favoured his position.

The minister further alleged that some of the governor’s supporters provided private aircraft and other privileges to those advising him during the political crisis.

“They were flying them around in private aircraft and making them feel like kings. They wanted to continue enjoying those benefits,” he claimed.

Wike insisted that his political camp resisted what he described as attempts to retain control of the state’s resources for personal interests.

“We said enough is enough. Rivers State cannot continue to serve as anyone’s cash cow. That era must come to an end,” he stated.