Wike: Why I Opposed Fubara’s Second-Term Bid

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has explained why he opposed the second-term ambition of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, alleging that external forces and some senior lawyers sought to hijack the state for personal interests.

Speaking during his monthly media chat with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, Wike said he became convinced that certain individuals were using Fubara’s administration to make him politically irrelevant in Rivers State.

The minister, who played a key role in Fubara’s emergence as governor in 2023, said both camps initially attempted to resolve their differences but later realised that influential interests were determined to exploit the political crisis.

“Let me tell you, there was a time we all thought and agreed that we should allow bygones to be bygones. But something fundamental came up,” Wike said.

“We all met and said, ‘Listen, if we allow this guy now, there are those who are here who want to see that we are no longer politically relevant. There are also external forces who want to hijack Rivers State. Should we allow them to hijack Rivers State?’”

Wike alleged that Rivers had become a “cash cow” for some individuals, including unnamed Senior Advocates of Nigeria, who he claimed abandoned his camp and began advising the governor.

“There are people, even some Senior Advocates of Nigeria, whom you would never believe could play that kind of role. They were virtually living with us in government. But overnight, they somersaulted and started giving the governor wrong advice,” he said.

According to the minister, the lawyers misled Fubara on legal matters while benefiting from privileges provided by the state government.

Wike insisted that he had nothing to lose from the political dispute, arguing that the governor suffered the greater setback because his second-term ambition had effectively ended.

“At the end of the fight, I have not lost anything. What have I lost? Nothing. But you have lost because your intention was to go for a second term, and you are not going,” he stated.

Despite the criticism, Wike maintained that his actions were motivated by concern for Fubara, insisting that his support for the governor in the past reflected genuine goodwill.

The minister recently declared an end to the prolonged political crisis in Rivers State and called on supporters of both camps to embrace reconciliation, peace and unity in the interest of the state.