The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s greatest political error was moving too quickly to build his own political structure after taking office, rather than consolidating the base that brought him to power.
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Wike made the remarks during a media chat in Port Harcourt on Saturday, August 1, arguing that Fubara should have strengthened the existing political structure instead of attempting to establish a separate one.
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The FCT Minister, who governed Rivers State from 2015 to 2023, played a central role in Fubara’s emergence as governor. Shortly after Fubara’s inauguration, however, the two men became locked in a protracted political crisis that split the state’s political landscape, with lawmakers loyal to Wike initiating impeachment proceedings against the governor before both camps eventually reached a truce.
As part of the reconciliation, Fubara withdrew from the All Progressives Congress governorship primary after being screened alongside Wike ally Kingsley Chinda, later endorsing Chinda as his preferred successor. The governor said the decision was made in the interest of peace, unity and political stability in the state.
Reflecting on the fallout, Wike said he had expected Fubara to build on the foundation laid by his administration in order to position Rivers State to compete with Lagos in infrastructural development. He said the governor instead chose to govern independently, without acknowledging the political support that had made his election possible.
Wike further accused Fubara of failing to distinguish between well-meaning political advice and counsel capable of damaging his administration.
“In this game, you have schoolmates, village relations, and all kinds of people. There are those who will mean well for you. There are those who do not mean well for you,” Wike said. “Now, you got to the office, someone now says to you, ‘Yes, he [Wike] has supported you, and must things be in his name? Why not just try to put yourself? And let people know it came through you.’ He made a mistake by saying that I can do it alone. Those who gave me support, I don’t care. I don’t need them.”
Wike added that it became evident within Fubara’s first 100 days in office that the governor was working to build a personal political structure rather than operate within the existing one.
“He tried to set up his own structure as against the structure that built him. It did not take up to 100 days, we saw it. We said something must be fundamentally wrong. In politics, you have to be very careful,” he said.
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