By Ayomide Otitoju
Former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has accused his successor, Siminalayi Fubara, of backing the Action Peoples Party (APP) in the recent local government elections in Rivers State. Fubara, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), swore in local government chairpersons days ago, with the APP winning 22 out of 23 chairmanship positions. The chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, was present at the event.
Ahead of the election, Fubara described himself as the “greatest loser,” lamenting that the PDP did not participate in the poll. However, Wike, now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), claimed that Fubara had sponsored the APP’s success in the election.
“People say, ‘Discipline Wike, he did anti-party.’ I did not do anti-party; I stood for equity, fairness, and justice,” Wike said during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, referring to his controversial support for President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 presidential election.
“Today, the governor [Fubara] is the one sponsoring the APP, and the chairman of the [PDP] governors’ forum was at the swearing-in,” Wike added.
Wike, who governed Rivers State under the PDP from 2015 to 2023, had a falling-out with the party after losing the presidential primary to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. He had insisted that the party should have zoned its presidential ticket to the South, arguing that leaving it open allowed northern candidates like Atiku to run.
His fallout with the PDP deepened when reconciliation efforts failed, leading him to support Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election. This move contributed to the PDP’s loss in Rivers State during the presidential polls, after which Wike was appointed FCT minister by Tinubu.
Calls for Wike’s suspension from the PDP have grown louder, but the former governor has stood his ground, maintaining that he did not violate party laws and does not regret backing the APC.
“I have no regret at all,” Wike stated when asked about his role in supporting Tinubu’s candidacy.
