The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared that his political future would be irreparably damaged if Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, is allowed to secure a second term in office.
Wike made the statement on Saturday while addressing stakeholders at a meeting in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State.
According to him, a definitive political decision has already been taken concerning the 2027 elections.
“We have made a decision as far as Tinubu is concerned. The other one, no way,” Wike said in an apparent reference to Fubara.
“If we make another mistake, then we will bury ourselves politically. I will not allow myself to be buried. I will not allow that mistake again.”
He stressed that the position was final and not open to negotiation. “Everybody should know that a decision has been made,” he added.
Wike’s remarks mark a renewed escalation in his political confrontation with Fubara, which resurfaced after the governor defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) last month.
The FCT minister accused Fubara of violating the peace agreement that led to the lifting of emergency rule in Rivers State and enabled him to resume office.
Earlier in the week, Wike described the emergence of Fubara as a “leadership mistake” and vowed that it would be corrected in 2027.
He also promised to disclose details of the controversial peace agreement that restored Fubara’s mandate.
“We will not repeat the same mistake at the state level in 2027,” Wike said. “When the time comes, we will talk about it.”
Addressing stakeholders on Friday in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, Wike dismissed suggestions that Fubara’s support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would guarantee him a second term.
He noted that he had backed Tinubu long before Fubara joined the APC.
“If you succeeded with the first agreement, do you think you can succeed with the second?
There cannot be two markets in one day,” Wike said, in a veiled reference to multiple peace deals.
He warned political actors against assuming that loyalty to Tinubu alone would resolve Rivers’ internal power struggle.
“All of us have agreed to work for Bola Ahmed Tinubu. There is no argument about that,” he said. “But we will not repeat the mistake of the past. We are here to correct it.”
Wike further questioned Fubara’s leadership capacity, accusing him of failing to maintain effective relationships with local government chairmen, members of the State House of Assembly, and National Assembly representatives.
“What kind of leadership is that?” he asked.
Responding to Fubara’s New Year comments, in which the governor dismissed Wike’s remarks as mere “noise,” the FCT minister said he was responsible for making Fubara governor despite his lack of widespread popularity.
“I made him governor even when he was not popular with the people,” Wike said.
