The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has voiced strong dissatisfaction with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, insisting that he would have preferred the outright removal of Governor Siminalayi Fubara from office.
Speaking during a high-stakes media parley in Abuja on Friday, Wike, who governed Rivers State from 2015 to 2023, said bluntly, “As a politician, I am not happy with the declaration of Emergency Rule in Rivers State. I wanted the outright removal of the governor. But for the interest of the state, the President did the right thing to prevent anarchy.”
President Tinubu’s decision, announced last month, came amid a crescendo of political instability, rising tensions, and security concerns in Rivers, including coordinated attacks and pipeline explosions. The President suspended Governor Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly. In an unprecedented move, he appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.) as Sole Administrator to oversee governance in the oil-rich state.
The decision has since sparked a nationwide debate, with many questioning the constitutionality and political motives behind the action.
Wike, widely seen as the political godfather who paved the way for Fubara’s emergence as governor, has been locked in a fierce political battle with his successor since the inception of the current administration in Rivers. Their bitter rivalry has plunged the state into deep political chaos, with implications far beyond party politics.
The rift intensified when 27 lawmakers loyal to Wike defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), triggering a legislative crisis marked by a divided House of Assembly and the emergence of parallel speakers.
Observers say the feud has transformed into a full-blown power struggle, with Wike reportedly mobilising his formidable political machinery to reclaim dominance in the state, even as Fubara seeks to assert his authority.
Despite Wike’s apparent disappointment with Tinubu’s decision to opt for a state of emergency rather than outright dismissal, he acknowledged that the President’s intervention might have averted a descent into lawlessness.
“The situation was already spiraling out of control. The President had to act, and though it’s not what I wanted, it was necessary to stabilise Rivers,” Wike conceded.
As Rivers State finds itself under unprecedented federal oversight, the nation watches closely to see how the political storm will resolve — and whether Wike’s grip on the state’s political structure will tighten or wane in the coming months.
PIONEER NEWS 