Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has spoken candidly about the lingering political crisis in Rivers State, stressing that true peace requires more than public gestures.
Wike, who has been at the centre of a bitter feud with Governor Siminalayi Fubara, made the remarks during a media parley in Abuja. He referenced a recent visit by the governor, accompanied by two APC governors and an elder statesman, aimed at brokering peace.
“The President has said several times that he wants peace, so I cannot say I don’t want peace,” Wike said. “Yes, Fubara came with two governors and an elder. I didn’t pursue him. I also want peace. I even advised him, like a young man: go this way, go that way, you won’t have problems. But people around him said, ‘Don’t listen to Wike, assert yourself as governor’—and now look, trouble has come.”
The former Rivers governor warned that continued unrest could lead to a declaration of a state of emergency, which he said would ultimately hurt Fubara more than anyone else. “If they declare a state of emergency, who wears the shoe? It is you. Who will suffer? You. And even if the emergency is called off, the problem hasn’t ended. The assembly is still there, they won’t pass your budget, you won’t get federal allocation.”
Wike also cast doubt on Fubara’s sincerity in seeking peace, asking whether he had met with members of the Rivers State House of Assembly or local political leaders. “If you want peace, it must show—in your speech, in your conduct, and in your actions. When you hurt people, it’s not a one-day affair.”
He added that his decision to welcome Fubara was not an endorsement but a gesture of humanity. “If I didn’t want to encourage him, why would I open my gate for him? I saw him talking, and I’m human—I felt for him. But I’m not carried away by public sympathy. I’m carried away by reality. After all, we’ve seen preachers say they’re led by the spirit, and later we find out there’s no spirit.”
The Rivers political crisis has deepened in recent months, with factions loyal to Wike and Fubara clashing over control of the state legislature, local government councils, and party structures.
