Olushola Omogbehin
In the renewed rift between Governor Fubara of Rivers State and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, leaders of the All Progressives Congress have declared support for Governor Fubara’s second term in office as 2027 election draws closer.
APC National Secretary Ajibola Basiru who revealed that Fubara had the full support of the party for his re-election, appealed to the people of Rivers State to deliver massive votes for both President Bola Tinubu and Governor Fubara in upcoming elections.
“Nobody can frustrate any APC governor. Fubara, like other APC governors, is running the affairs of his state well,” he added.
Fubara’s switch from PDP to the APC has consolidated the ruling party’s control over South-south states thereby marking a significant political realignment in a region formerly dominated by the Peoples Democratic Party.
APC’s endorsement of Fubara who defected after months of bitter conflict with his predecessor Wike, suggests he may receive an automatic ticket for 2027 election of the state.
Earlier, the National Chairman of the APC, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, had also declared Fubara as the leader of the party in the state. He made this known on Channels Television’s Hard Copy programme on Friday when he said:
“Governor Fubara is the leader of the APC in Rivers State, but he would need to coordinate with every other person in the state.”
However, Wike has declared that Fubara’s second term was not guaranteed even under APC.
He accused Fubara of breaching the peace agreement reached between them and warned against what he called “opportunistic politics.”
He said in his monthly media chat that Fubara’s defection to the APC didn’t make the governor of the party leader in the state.
Wike said he is still the leader of politics in Rivers State because his supporters are the leaders of local governments and ward structures across the state.
Fubara on the other hand had reacted that: “The only reason the dog barks is when it doesn’t understand. We know where we are going and have set all the things that are needed to make the journey smooth.”
