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Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has blamed “external forces” for his decision to oppose the second-term ambition of Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers.
Speaking on Tuesday during his monthly media chat with journalists in Abuja, Wike said he discovered that some individuals were seeking to make him (Wike) politically irrelevant in the state through the governor.
BACKGROUND
The FCT minister, who served as Rivers governor from 2015 to 2023, was widely reported to have played a prominent role in Fubara’s emergence as his successor.
However, shortly after Fubara was sworn in, the relationship between the two men deteriorated, triggering a prolonged political crisis that polarised Rivers’ political landscape.
The crisis saw lawmakers loyal to Wike initiate impeachment proceedings against Fubara on multiple occasions, escalating tensions and eventually leading to President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a six-month state of emergency in Rivers.
Both camps later reached a truce after Fubara defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Although Fubara was initially screened alongside Kingsley Chinda, an ally of the minister, for the APC governorship primary, the governor later withdrew, saying he made the decision out of conviction and in the interest of peace and unity of Rivers.
‘EXTERNAL FORCES WANTED TO HIJACK RIVERS’
During the media chat, Wike further alleged that some individuals who initially opposed Fubara’s emergence later became close to him with the intention of undermining his political allies.
“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,” he 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. What do we do? There are also external forces who want to hijack Rivers state. Should we allow them to hijack Rivers state?’
“There are those who see Rivers state as a cash cow. I can tell you so many things happened.”
The minister, who did not mention any names, said some senior advocates of Nigeria (SANs) were among those who became involved in the crisis.
“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,” Wike recalled.
“They said, ‘Don’t worry, the law says this.’ The law didn’t say that. They were sending them aircraft, and they were relaxing on the jet, thinking they had achieved something. But we said no. This cash cow must end now. You won’t have it again. Take as much as you can, but you have to stop.
“That’s why you have to be careful. Those who didn’t want you to be governor now became your friends. Obviously, they will destroy you, thinking that coming closer to you is to fight us.”
The minister said he believed Fubara was the biggest loser from the political crisis, insisting that he had nothing to lose from the fallout.
“At the end of the fight, I have not lost anything,” Wike said.
“What have I lost? Nothing. But you have lost because your intention was to go for a second term, and you are not going.”
Wike, however, noted that his opposition to Fubara’s second-term ambition was borne out of concern for him, arguing that he supported the governor because he cared about him.
“Those of us who love him, that’s why we feel so bad. If I don’t love him, would I support him? That’s the point I’m making,” he said.
The minister on Saturday declared an end to the protracted political feud between him and Fubara.
He called on supporters of both camps to embrace peace, unity and reconciliation, saying the state has been the biggest loser in the supremacy battle.
