In a sharp escalation of the political crisis in Rivers State, Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike stated that Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s re-election would spell the end of his own political career. Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Okrika on Saturday, Wike declared, “We have made a decision as far as Tinubu is concerned. The other one [Fubara] — no way. Because if we make another mistake, then we will go and bury ourselves politically. I will not allow myself to be buried.”
Wike resumed his public attacks on Fubara after the governor defected to the All Progressives Congress last month, accusing him of breaching a prior peace agreement. He further dismissed Fubara’s support for President Bola Tinubu as inconsequential to his re-election prospects, vowing, “We will not make the same mistake again at the state level in 2027.” The minister also responded to Fubara’s dismissal of his comments as “noise,” claiming he was the one who made the governor.