The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, expressed no surprise over Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s withdrawal from the All Progressives Congress governorship primary, asserting that the governor violated an initial agreement by contesting.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has stated that he was completely unsurprised by the sudden withdrawal of the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, from the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election. Governor Fubara had dramatically announced his withdrawal from the intra-party contest just a day before the scheduled exercise, explaining to the public that he stepped down out of “conviction and sacrifice for the state to move forward in peace and unity”. Following the governor’s exit, high-ranking federal lawmaker and key Wike ally, Kingsley Chinda, comprehensively won the state’s APC gubernatorial primary election on Thursday, May 21, 2026, positioning himself as the party’s official standard-bearer.
Speaking to journalists on Monday after conducting an inspection of ongoing infrastructure projects across Abuja, Wike dismissed the governor’s sacrificial narrative, suggesting instead that Fubara had breached a pre-existing political truce. The FCT minister disclosed that a foundational consensus had been previously brokered to de-escalate the state’s political crisis, under which certain conditions were explicitly outlined regarding the governor’s tenure. According to Wike, Fubara’s attempt to participate in the primary election directly undermined those closed-door resolutions, which had successfully halted active legislative moves by the state assembly to remove him from office.
The open disagreement highlights the deep-seated animosity and protracted power tussle between the former political allies, a conflict that has continuously polarized the executive and legislative arms of the oil-rich coastal state. Defending the validity of the primary’s outcome and endorsing his associate’s readiness for leadership, Wike maintained that Chinda possesses the robust legislative and executive experience required to steer the south-south state efficiently. Reflecting on the political timeline that forced the governor’s hand, Wike remarked, “I’m not surprised that the governor withdrew. In the first place, he ought not to have collected the [APC nomination] form because the agreement was reached that impeachment should be dropped, while he should also not talk about a second tenure.”
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