Fubara’s surrender to Wike leaves loyalists in political limbo

The reconciliation between Siminalayi Fubara and Nyesom Wike has raised questions about the political fate of the governor’s loyalists, their place in Rivers politics and whether Fubara has surrendered his political influence to his former godfather, writes DENNIS NAKU

Since the February 2025 Supreme Court judgment, which nullified the local government elections conducted in Rivers State by the State Independent Electoral Commission under Governor Siminalayi Fubara and recognised Martin Amaewhule as the authentic Speaker of the State House of Assembly, things have gone from sublime to ridiculous for the state chief executive.

Before then, the governor was gaining ground in the political tussle between him and his then estranged political godfather and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

However, following the expiration of the tenure of the local government chairmen who served under Wike, Fubara appointed local government administrators and later conducted fresh local government elections, in which his loyalists emerged as elected chairmen across the 23 local government areas, thus establishing a firm political structure at the grassroots.

However, the governor’s ability to assert himself following his control of the LGAs was cut short by the landmark judgment of the highest court in the land.

Following the ruling, the three lawmakers loyal to the governor became handicapped, although Fubara still had control of the local government areas through the heads of local government administration. This continued until the political crisis in the state degenerated, with the State House of Assembly threatening to impeach the governor.

The impeachment threat hanging over the governor attracted the fury of some militants sympathetic to him, who threatened to blow up oil pipelines. This compelled President Bola Tinubu to declare a six-month state of emergency in the oil-rich state, suspending the governor and the State House of Assembly.

Tinubu subsequently appointed Ibok-Ete Ibas as the administrator of the state for the period. Interestingly, while the governor was serving his suspension, Ibas conducted fresh local government elections in which Wike’s loyalists emerged victorious. Ibas also dissolved all boards, parastatals and political appointments and appointed new heads.

In September 2025, when Fubara returned to office at the expiration of the emergency rule, Wike had once again assumed control and now held all the aces, as the few commissioners appointed by the governor, who had not been screened by Martin Amaewhule, did not return to the cabinet after the emergency rule.

However, now that virtually everything has gone Wike’s way, with Governor Siminalayi Fubara asking his supporters to recognise the FCT minister as the political leader of the state, what happens to the governor’s myriad supporters?

Moreover, every statement the governor made during the unveiling of the candidates of the Rainbow Coalition appeared to point to the extent to which he had surrendered. He repeatedly referred to Wike as “my oga” and addressed Chinda as “my successor”.

He said, “Let me say something here so that it will help us while we move forward. I’m aware that during the crisis, some of you, who followed me, would in your meetings refer to me as leader. We are now in one house. And, because we have one house, there is no issue about who is the leader. I might be your oga, but we have a common leader now. So please, going forward, this issue of my leader, my leader, I want it resolved here and now,” Fubara said.

While presenting the flag to Chinda, the state APC governorship candidate, Fubara said, “Let me, on behalf of our leader (Wike) and all the leaders that are here, say that after the unveiling of the governorship candidate, and not just the governorship candidate, but my successor by the special grace of God, I will be leaving the floor for him to make his acceptance speech.”

The above remarks, according to political commentators, portray the governor as having surrendered power even before his scheduled departure from office.

The recent reinstatement of the three suspended lawmakers who stood with the governor during the political crisis that rocked the state by the Martin Amaewhule-led State House of Assembly, after about two years, undoubtedly followed the reconciliation between the Wike and Fubara camps.

The recall of the pro-Fubara lawmakers, namely Victor Oko-Jumbo, representing Bonny Constituency; Sokari Goodboy, representing Ahoada West Constituency; and Timothy Oruibienimigha, representing Opobo/Nkoro Constituency, came after Wike’s recent visit to Fubara at his private residence with members of the Senator Magnus Abe-led reconciliation committee and some elders of the state.

On another occasion, Wike again led members of the State House of Assembly and chairmen of the 23 local government areas to visit Fubara at the latter’s private residence, where all the attendees emerged from the closed-door meeting beaming with smiles and exchanging pleasantries with the governor.

However, in some quarters, Wike’s double visit to Fubara is viewed as a case of the rejected stone now becoming the chief cornerstone because the former still needs the governor and his supporters to win the election in the state.

Wike also met with Fubara’s core loyalists to elicit their support and assure them that they would not be abandoned in the new political arrangement.

But the question on the lips of political watchers is: What happens to Edison Ehie, then leader of the State House of Assembly, who was Fubara’s most trusted ally during the political crisis that led to the bombing of the Assembly Complex along Moscow Road, Port Harcourt?

At the height of the political tussle between Fubara and the State House of Assembly, when the lawmakers attempted to impeach the governor, Ehie resigned his membership of the House, and Fubara later appointed him as Chief of Staff, Rivers State Government House.

However, upon Wike’s return to control following the actions of Ibas, Fubara was forced to dissolve his cabinet and sack his appointees, including Ehie and Dr Tammy Danagogo, the Secretary to the State Government at the time.

With the recent understanding between the two gladiators, will Wike allow his political godson to reappoint Ehie as chief of staff? Will Fubara reappoint the commissioners and other appointees he dropped? Moreover, the governor has been running the state with five commissioners in the last seven months. Presently, the state has no commissioners for Health, Information and Communications, or Justice/Attorney-General.

A top politician in the state, who pleaded anonymity to avoid being seen as igniting another crisis, hailed the reconciliation between Fubara and Wike and their loyalists.

He, however, said the reconciliation would only be complete if Wike made peace with his estranged political godfather and former governor of the state, Dr Peter Odili, by also visiting him.

“Now that they have all reconciled and are working together, I feel that it will be right for the FCT minister to also swallow his pride and visit the former governor, Dr Peter Odili, and his wife and ask for forgiveness from them.

“I say this because Odili stood with Fubara during the crisis, and that unsettled Wike. You also know that the House of Assembly is currently investigating scholarship funds which the government of Fubara released to PAMO University of Medical Sciences, which is owned by Dr Odili.

“So if he can return to Odili, who is like a father to him, and reconcile with him, I believe the entire peace talks would make more sense and would be complete. All sides would then be happy and start working harmoniously again in the interest of Rivers State and our people,” the politician noted.

A major development that gives credence to Fubara’s perceived surrender is the governor’s reappointment of Sergeant Chidi Awuse as chairman of the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers, two years after sacking him and describing him as a man of unstable character.

Recall that Awuse was the chairman of the council in the state and served under Wike as governor. In the wake of the political crisis that rocked the state, Governor Fubara sacked Awuse and appointed Eze Wodo as the new chairman of the council.

Speaking during a special meeting with traditional rulers at the Banquet Hall of the Government House, Port Harcourt, Governor Fubara gave reasons for sacking Awuse. He said the latter had not been leading the council effectively for some time because of his alleged role in the political crisis in the state.

Fubara described Awuse as an unstable character, noting that he had been playing both sides since the political crisis that rocked the state.

“It is like your chairman has run away. Maybe when your chairman is ready, he will write to me. If he gets the approval, he can then come for the meeting.

“But you already know his position. He is not a stable man. He is not a stable character. He cannot say something in the morning and say another thing in the evening,” Fubara said of Awuse.

In reappointing Awuse, no reason was given in the special government announcement issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Dagogo Wokoma.

Speaking on the situation in the state, an elder statesman, Asukewe Ikoawaji, said the governor had chosen his own destiny.

Ikoawaji stated, “The truth remains that you can take the horse to the stream, but you cannot force the horse to drink water. The Rivers people have taken Sim to the Rivers, but he has refused to drink the water.

“Now we want to reset our state. That is the most important thing for every man and woman that loves Rivers.

“But for Wike himself as a politician, he has the right to say what he wants to say, but Rivers people have the right to do what they want.”

On his part, the President of the South-South Youths Initiative, Oscar Imeabe, raised concerns over the recent political developments in the state, saying the governor appeared to have relinquished his constitutional mandate too easily.

Imeabe said, “Is the governor of Rivers State or the FCT minister deceiving Rivers people? We are yet to know the reason why His Excellency surrendered his constitutional rights so fast. Is it because of a mere reconciliation process?”

He argued that Fubara’s apparent surrender might be the actual agreement Wike had repeatedly referred to, noting that neither Wike nor Fubara had told Rivers people what the agreement entailed. Imeabe said it was strange for a governor to surrender the constitutional powers given to him by the people through an election to an individual.

He stated, “We are aware that it is his constitutional responsibility to contest for a first and second tenure. The FCT minister kept stating that agreement is agreement. What was the agreement? Was the agreement that the government of Rivers State should not go for a second tenure? Is the agreement that Wike will project his Ikwerre brother for governor?

“With the dissolution of Governor Fubara’s aides and the coming in of supporters or loyalists of the FCT minister, it’s obvious that the current governor we have is Nyesom Wike. He now occupies two positions as FCT minister and Rivers State governor.

“Wike is the one directing what is going on in the state, and no longer the governor. So, at this point, we want to know who is deceiving us in Rivers State.”

Imeabe, who is also the Global President of the Ogoni Youths Development Initiative, slammed the governor over the reappointment of Awuse.

He said, “Recently, the same chairman of the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers, who has just been reappointed by the governor, was the same person he dropped some years ago for having a questionable character.

“So, at what point did the governor of Rivers State jettison the opinion he held about Sergeant Awuse? When did he clear that particular statement about a man of unstable character to reappoint Awuse as chairman of the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers? I would say that the governor, who a few years ago earned the organic support of Rivers people, is now losing it.

“Why should he surrender all his political power to the FCT minister, directing his loyalists to address the FCT minister as their leader, and declaring that he is no longer their leader? I’ve not seen where a governor will surrender his position and political power to a political appointee instead of doing what God has placed in his hands at this time.”

However, the Chancellor of the International Society for Social Justice and Human Rights, Dr Omenazu Jackson, said the governor had made no mistake but had instead been reminded where his loyalty lay and had rightly retraced his steps.

He said those who brought the governor to the limelight had taken him back.

Jackson stated, “I don’t think there is a mistake anywhere. He has just gone back to his natural camp and is doing what the camp asked him to do.”