The FCT minister says Rivers was the biggest loser in the supremacy battle, as Fubara throws his weight behind the Rainbow Coalition

Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has declared an end to the protracted political feud between him and Siminalayi Fubara, Governor of Rivers State.

Wike spoke on Saturday during a media chat in Port Harcourt, where 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.

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, before the relationship deteriorated shortly after Fubara was sworn in, triggering a prolonged political crisis that polarised Rivers’ political landscape.

How the Rivers political crisis unfolded

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).

During the media chat, Wike said Fubara’s biggest mistake was attempting to build his own political structure too early after becoming governor, but said he had reflected on their disagreements and resolved to put the state’s development above personal and political differences.

“As far as the state is concerned, peace and unity are all we want. We must work together, and we are now working together with the governor,” Wike said. “We have made our mistakes.

We have realised that it is not in the interest of the state. Therefore, people should encourage this reconciliation and not ask, ‘Why did the governor do this?’ Those who make such comments do not mean well for Rivers state.”

Wike also named four individuals he accused of misleading Fubara during the crisis, Edison Ehie, Chijioke Ihunwo, Victor Oko Jumbo and activist Ankio Briggs, saying their alleged advice contributed significantly to the breakdown of earlier peace agreements and that the crisis could have been resolved much sooner without their influence.

Wike says reconciliation lets Fubara focus on governance

Wike said a committee had been constituted to engage stakeholders across the state and strengthen the ongoing peace process.

“We have set up a committee to reach out to everybody. The objective is to ensure that everyone is carried along in the effort to build a united and prosperous Rivers State,” he said, adding that political actors should prioritise the state’s interest over party affiliation.

“The objective is to ensure that everyone is carried along in the effort to build a united and prosperous Rivers State.

“If you want to play politics today, it is the Rainbow Coalition. Forget whatever anybody tells you; you cannot win without bringing people together.”

He also praised President Tinubu’s leadership as “good for us and good for Nigeria,” and expressed optimism about the state’s future now that Fubara’s “mind is at rest” to focus fully on governance.

“With what the governor has done, I can tell you that in the next one year, you will see a lot of improvement in this state,” he said.

The development follows Fubara’s own declaration of support for the Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party alliance led by Wike backing Tinubu’s re-election in Rivers.

Speaking during the inauguration of the Rivers Medical Industries project in Port Harcourt on 22 July, Fubara endorsed Kingsley Chinda, Wike’s ally and the APC governorship candidate, as his preferred successor, having earlier withdrawn from the APC governorship primary in which he was initially screened alongside Chinda.

The APC screening committee had reportedly disqualified several of Fubara’s allies from the Rivers House of Assembly primaries while clearing aspirants loyal to Wike.