ABUJA – Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has disclosed that he strongly advocated for the removal of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara amid the ongoing political crisis in the state. According to him, it was President Bola Tinubu’s intervention that prevented Fubara’s outright ouster.
Speaking during a media chat in Abuja on Friday, Wike admitted he was not in support of the state of emergency declared in Rivers but acknowledged that it effectively preserved Fubara’s position.
“As a politician, I am not happy about the state of emergency in Rivers State,” Wike said. “I wanted the outright removal of Governor Fubara. The president, by declaring a state of emergency, saved Fubara.”
On March 18, 2025, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers, suspending Governor Fubara, his deputy, and the legislature. An interim administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd), was appointed to oversee the state’s affairs.
Wike, who has been at the center of the protracted political turmoil in Rivers, asserted that Fubara had already lost political footing before the president intervened.
“The governor was gone. He was gone, yes… so when people say the president did this, I say they should be praising him,” he stated. “Every morning, they should go to the president and ask, ‘Can we wash your feet for saving us?’”
While expressing readiness for peace talks, the FCT minister claimed that Fubara’s advisers were discouraging him from reaching a resolution.
The remarks are expected to stir fresh controversy in Rivers State politics as stakeholders weigh the implications of the federal intervention and ongoing tensions between both camps.
