Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, has openly admitted that he lobbied for the removal of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, amid the state’s prolonged political crisis—but was halted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s intervention through a state of emergency.
During a media briefing in Abuja on Friday, Wike revealed that President Tinubu’s decision to declare a state of emergency in Rivers on March 18, 2025, effectively saved Fubara from being ousted. The declaration saw the suspension of the governor, his deputy, and the state legislature, and the appointment of a military administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd), to manage the state’s affairs.
“As a politician, I am not pleased with the state of emergency in Rivers State,” Wike stated. “I wanted Governor Fubara completely removed. But it was the president’s intervention that saved him.”
Wike, a key power broker in Rivers politics and a central figure in the conflict, claimed that Fubara had already lost his grip on power before Tinubu’s move. “The governor was gone. He was finished. So when people criticize the president, I say they should actually be thanking him,” he said.
“Every morning, they should go to the president and ask, ‘Can we wash your feet for saving us?’”
Despite the tension, Wike expressed openness to reconciliation, alleging that it is Fubara’s advisers who are blocking peace efforts. “I am ready for peace. But those around him keep misleading him, telling him not to settle,” the minister claimed.
Wike’s remarks shed new light on the high-level political drama that has engulfed Rivers State, sparking widespread debate about loyalty, leadership, and federal influence in state matters.
