“Wike’s Dire Warning: Fubara’s Re-Election Will Bury Us Politically”
In a sharp escalation of his long-simmering feud with Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike declared on Saturday that his political legacy, and that of his allies would be “buried” if Fubara clinches a second term in office.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Okrika Local Government Area, Wike, a former Rivers governor and key architect of Fubara’s 2023 rise, launched his most direct attack yet following Fubara’s high-profile defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) last month.
The move has intensified a power struggle that traces back to a 2023 political crisis, when 27 pro-Wike lawmakers defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC, prompting Fubara’s impeachment attempts and a federal intervention.
Wike accused Fubara of violating a peace agreement forged under President Bola Tinubu’s mediation in late 2024, which lifted an effective “emergency rule” on the state assembly and restored Fubara’s position.
“We have made a decision as far as Tinubu is concerned. The other one [Fubara] no way,” Wike stated emphatically.
“Because if we make another mistake, then we will go and bury ourselves politically. I will not allow myself to be buried. I will not allow that mistake again. So everybody should know we have made a decision.”
The meeting doubled as a “thank you” visit by Wike to Okrika, where a significant development unfolded. The Rivers Ijaw Peoples Congress (RIPC), previously aligned with Fubara, publicly defected to Wike’s camp.
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RIPC Chairman, Senator George Sekibo (PDP), announced the shift, praising Wike’s historical support for the Ijaw ethnic group, which dominates Rivers’ oil-rich regions.
Sekibo described the Wike-Fubara clash as “very unfortunate” but insisted the Ijaw people are “not ungrateful.”
He reminisced about Wike’s role in elevating Fubara, an Ijaw native as his successor in 2023, framing the endorsement as a return to loyalty amid perceived betrayals.
This realignment could bolster Wike’s influence in Ijaw strongholds ahead of future elections, potentially complicating Fubara’s 2027 reelection bid.
Public records confirm the Tinubu-brokered 8-point peace deal in December 2023 (with updates in 2024), which included assembly recognition, budget approvals, and party affiliations, terms Wike now claims Fubara has flouted, especially post-defection.
Fubara’s APC switch, announced in late 2025, was portrayed as a quest for “federal alignment,” but critics like Wike see it as disloyalty.
Analysts view Wike’s Okrika remarks as a preemptive strike to rally PDP and APC factions against Fubara, signaling Tinubu’s tacit opposition to the governor’s ambitions.
With Rivers’ vast oil revenues at stake, the feud risks deeper instability, echoing the 2023 crisis that saw political bombings and court battles.
No immediate response from Fubara’s office was available as of press time. Stakeholders warn that without renewed federal mediation, Rivers’ political “burial” could extend beyond Wike’s rhetoric.
