Wike, Fubara, And A Captured State
By Kazeem Akintunde
In the last couple of days, Rivers State has been in the news for the wrong reasons. Since the 2023 general elections that returned Siminalayi Fubara as the Governor of the State, the state has not enjoyed any semblance of peace beyond six months. The state and its development has been bogged down by two men who have big-sized egos and have been torn apart by the lucre of office. Rivers State as an oil producing state, is amongst the top three states in the country that is associated with the highest monthly revenue figures from the federation account.
At the center of the power tussle in the state is the former governor of the state, Nyesom Wike, and the incumbent Governor, Sim Fubara. Wike, at the twilight of his eight-year rule, searched far and wide for a pliant politician that would be loyal to him while he continues to dictate the pace of development in the state from the sidelines.
He settled for Fubara, who, despite not being a politician, enjoyed rapid promotion as a civil servant in the state before he was anointed to succeed Wike as the state governor. First, he was promoted to the rank of a permanent Secretary, and later, Accountant-general of the state, while most of his colleagues were still on level 14. Perhaps, due to his dour look and the belief that he would be loyal to the godfather. But looks can be deceptive. Whatever agreement the duo made was soon torn to shreds as Fubara wanted to be his own man as soon as he attained power. The state soon had in its history, the case of a godson that defies his godfather.
However, in being his own man, Fubara was not smart enough to recognise that he will need members of the State House of Assembly for him to rule successfully. In the last 30 months of his governorship, impeachment notices have been slammed on him three times by the Assembly. Practically all the 32 members in the Rivers Assembly except four were fiercely loyal to Wike. When a man is drafted from the bureaucracy into elective power by the magnanimity of a political benefactor, the least he owes the system is restraint. If the agreement was unbearable, the honourable path was to renegotiate with maturity, or to step aside with dignity, and not to turn the entire state into a theatre of permanent war.
Rivers state has already lived through this feud at a huge cost. Earlier, President Bola Tinubu had brokered a reconciliation when the crisis first threatened governance in the state, but the conflict returned, louder and more dangerous. Eventually, the matter necessitated a rare constitutional intervention when a state of emergency was declared in March , 2025, and the Governor, his deputy, and lawmakers were suspended for six months. The emergency rule was lifted and democratic governance restored in September, 2025. That kind of episode is supposed to reset everyone’s thinking. Politics demands genuine peace, not performativity. Rivers state is too strategic and combustible to be governed with a personal grudge. Many had thought that Fubara would be more discerning, but have been proved wrong. From the look of things, Fubara has learnt nothing.
On the day he returned to office after the emergency rule was lifted, Fubara, perhaps, to avoid any unguarded utterances, appeared to tactfully distance himself from his army of supporters who had thronged the Rivers State Government House to welcome him. Instead, he showed up the following day to deliver a state-wide broadcast.
From his speech, Fubara offered a glimpse into parts of the agreement brokered between him, Wike, and members of the Rivers Assembly. This is particularly evident in paragraph 10 of his speech, where he stated: “To those who have expressed genuine fears, frustrations, and uncertainty over the nature of the peace process, I assure you that your concerns are valid and understood.” In essence, the governor acknowledged that the public’s fears and doubts about the peace deal are not unfounded. By validating these concerns and admitting that he understands them, Fubara tacitly conceded that there are indeed contentious aspects to the issues and agreements.
What are those agreements? Only Tinubu, Wike, Fubara, and the leadership of the Rivers State Assembly are in the know. Wike has also mentioned Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser to the President, and former Governor of the State, Peter Odili, as witnesses to the agreement. Although all those in the know of the peace pact are keeping sealed lips on its components, a clearer picture seems to be emerging. This includes the fact that Fubara would be allowed to serve out his four-year tenure and won’t be impeached by the State Assembly; that he would not seek a second term in office; that the Secretary to the Rivers State Government would be removed; that Sergeant Awuse would be reinstated as the Chairman of the Rivers State Council of Elders, and that the Governor’s Chief of Staff, Ehie Edison, would be sacked.
However, Fubara, rather than implementing the terms of the agreement, played a fast one on Wike when he decamped to the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) without informing Wike or seeking his support. Jolted by Fubara’s move, the Speaker of the State Assembly, Martin Amaewhule and most of his colleagues also decamped to the APC, while Wike, despite openly supporting President Tinubu, insisted that he remains a PDP member. But the PDP says otherwise. A faction of the party, led by the newly elected National Chairman, Kabiru Turaki, had expelled Wike from the party. To add to the headache of Wike, Fubara insisted that he is the number one leader of the APC in the state, and went ahead to describe Wike as a dog that can only bark but can no longer bite.
Not to be caught off guard, and to prove that he could still bark and bite, Wike returned to Rivers State on what he termed “thank you visit”, which has been widely interpreted as a strategic political re-entry, with pundits positing that the visits are a deliberate effort by the former governor to reassert his dominance, consolidate grassroots support, and directly challenge the authority of Fubara ahead of the 2027 election.
During tours of several local government areas, including the four Ikwere councils of Obio/Akpor, Emohua, Ikwere and Port Harcourt City, as well as the Ogoni axis and other communities, Wike left little doubt about his intentions.
He declared that his political camp would “correct the mistakes of 2023,” insisting that chanting President Bola Tinubu’s popular slogan, “On your mandate we shall stand,” would not automatically translate into electoral tickets or political patronage. His jibes were directed at Fubara. His repeated assertion that “power is not for dash” underscored his long-held belief that political authority must be earned and negotiated, not handed out freely. Throughout the visits, Wike projected the image of a political godfather still firmly in control of Rivers State’s dominant political machinery. By openly mobilising loyalists and engaging traditional and political leaders across the state, he appeared determined to remind both allies and adversaries that his grip on Rivers’ politics remains strong.
Perhaps, the clearest indication of Wike’s resolve came during a thank-you visit to Okrika Local Government Area and a courtesy call on the Amanyanabo of Okochiri Kingdom, King Ateke Tom. There, Wike cautioned traditional rulers to avoid partisan politics and allow politicians to “play their game,” noting that political momentum toward 2027 was already gathering speed.
More strikingly, he declared that his political career would be “buried” if Fubara is allowed to secure a second term in office. The statement, widely regarded as a political red line, underscores how deeply personal and strategic the contest has become.
Fubara’s political recalibration, most notably his defection to the APC, has reportedly earned him recognition from key power brokers in Abuja. The APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, publicly acknowledged Fubara as the leader of the party in Rivers State, noting that it is standard practice within the APC for sitting governors to control party structures in their states. Similarly, Ajibola Basiru, National Secretary of the APC, has also warned Wike to stay out of Rivers’ APC since he is not a member of the party. However, Wike has repeatedly dismissed claims that Fubara controls the APC structure in Rivers state, insisting that his own political network remains the dominant one. And to show that he is still relevant in the state, lawmakers loyal to him have, for the third time, dangled the impeachment carrot on Fubara’s face.
Oil-rich Rivers State is facing a deep political crisis driven by a power struggle between Wike and Fubara. The conflict has disrupted governance, divided the state’s legislature, and triggered repeated impeachment threats against the governor. More recently, Wike has sharpened his attacks on Fubara, accusing him of failing to uphold the agreement brokered by President Tinubu. He also vowed never to support his re-election bid, describing him as an ‘’ungrateful child.’’
In all of the brouhaha, the people of Rivers state have been left to hold the short end of the stick. Since 2023, developmental projects that could bring succour to the people have been left unattended to, while leaders play politics with the lives of the people. The state has been captured by political buccaneers who are ready to kill and be killed for them to be in control of the resources of the state. President Tinubu is on holiday in Europe at a time that a significant state as strategic as Rivers is on fire. Although he has intervened on several occasions in dousing the fires, his interventions are always based on political permutations ahead of the 2027 presidential elections.
At this end, we shall watch and see how the war in Rivers State pans out within the next few weeks. What is certain is that Wike and Fubara can no longer work together for the peace and progress of the state. Wike is willing to tolerate Fubara to end his tenure peacefully and leave the government House in May, 2027, expectedly for another of his political godsons to take over. Fubara is also ready to seek re-election on a different platform – the ruling APC. If he is allowed to, he is likely to get the party’s ticket. That is the crux of the matter for Wike and his loyalists in the Rivers state Assembly. From now till May, 2027, it is unlikely that there will be anything close to governance or democratic dividends for the people of Rivers state. It is a state that has been captured. As it is popularly said in street parlance, “it is finished!” Or is it?!
See you next week.
