The African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship aspirant in Rivers State, Dr Leloonu Nwibubasa, has accused the suspended Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, of surrendering to his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, and abandoning the people of the state after months of political confrontation.

Nwibubasa, while speaking in an interview, said Fubara’s recent statement, confirming his reconciliation with Wike, was a betrayal of Rivers people who stood by him through the political crisis.

He said the governor had created goodwill among the people by presenting himself as a leader determined to free the state from Wike’s political stranglehold only to go back to the same political camp.

“Governor Fubara going into a negotiation with Wike and coming back to say there is reconciliation and that he has given back things to his godfather was his surrender,” he said.

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Nwibubasa said Rivers people backed Fubara because they felt he was committed to defending the interests of the state, recalling that the governor had repeatedly told residents that he would stand against political interference even at great personal cost.

“The pain in what the governor did yesterday is the deceit, the long term deceit, which he has deceived not just his supporters but the people of Rivers State,” he stated.

He also claimed that the governor had forsaken the principles he once claimed to defend by embracing those he previously criticised.

“It is a shame that a man that leadership was entrusted to can turn 360 degrees in a moment of time and throw the people under the bus.”

The ADC governorship hopeful insisted that Fubara had lost the moral right to lead, arguing that leadership is about consistency, vision and the confidence of followers.

“if the governor himself has no place to go, because he has lost his capacity to lead, he’s only a governor, he’s no more a leader.”

Nwibubasa called on Rivers people to chart a new political course, saying the state must be liberated from what he described as entrenched political control.

He also called on residents to shun leaders who, according to him, abandon the ideals they campaigned on after securing the support of the public.

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Former Acting Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Rivers State, Robinson Ewor has revealed that the sudden move of Governor Siminalayi Fubara to remove the Rivers Secretary to the State Government, SSG and the Chief of Staff were parts of the agreement the governor had with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike.

It would be recalled that Governor Fubara sacked the SSG Benibo Anabraba and Chief of Staff, Edison Ehie on February 26.

Speaking when he appeared on Arise TV on Thursday, Robinson Ewor said the removal of the SSG and the CoS were outcome of the negotiations between Wike and Fubara when the state of emergency imposed in the state by President Bola Tinubu came to an end.

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The governor, according to the former PDP Acting Chairman, made several agreements with the FCT Minister “including removing the Chief of Staff and the SSG from office”.

He further stated that the governor “during that negotiation, agreed not to run for a second term”, accusing Fubara of allegedly misleading his followers.

The governor had on Tuesday declared that he had rejoined Wike’s political family, asking his suppers to vote for the Minister’s anointed candidates in the forthcoming general elections.

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The APC announced the appointment of Rivers State Governor, Sim Fubara, and other serving and former governors as coordinators and collation officers for different states in its presidential primary election.

The party has also adopted a direct primary mode that will allow all registered party members to participate in the exercise nationwide.

The APC said in a document issued by its National Secretariat in Abuja that the direct primary would take place on May 24, 2026 in all the 8,809 wards in the country.

Other APC governors were also appointed as coordinators for their respective states.

“The direct primary in each of the 36 states and the FCT shall be organised and conducted by the State Coordinator and Collation Officer, who shall also collate the results of all the local governments in the state and present the same to the Presidential Primary Election Committee in Abuja, FCT on 24 May, 2026.

“The provisions of the ‘Procedure for the Conduct of Direct and Consensus Mode of Primaries’ earlier issued and forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Committee under cover of a letter dated 15 May 2026 with reference No: APC/NHDQ/INEC/PRYS-DOCS/01-05/26 shall also apply mutatis mutandis,” the document signed by APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, partly read.

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Former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Chidi Odinkalu, said Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has finally shown that politics was never meant for him.

Odinkalu was said to have made the comment in a post on his 𝕏 handle on Thursday after Fubara withdrew from the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary.

He said that Fubara was a civil servant in 2022 and should have resigned from service within the time frame stipulated by the Electoral Act before contesting for office.

Odinkalu said Fubara remained a civil servant way beyond the point aspirants were supposed to resign under the Electoral Act. He added that the governor is now free to return to the civil service where his future should be bright.

He said: “Glad @SimFubaraKSC has finally cleared the air & taken a stand that politics is not his thing. Never was.

“#Fubara was a #civilservant in 2022 and he was still working as civil servant long after aspirants should have resigned from office under the #ElectoralAct. “He is now free to go back to the #civilservice where his future should be bright.”

Meanwhile, Fubara said that his decision was after extensive consultation with family members, friends and political associates. He added that he would give his full support to whoever emerges as the governorship candidate of the party.

“After much soul-searching and wide consultations with my family, friends and associates, I have taken the hard but necessary decision to withdraw from the APC gubernatorial primaries. “I do that with a full heart and a firm commitment to support whoever emerges as the candidate of our great party,” he said.

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The anchor of Arise Television’s Morning Show, Rufai Oseni, has said that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has become the dominant force in Rivers State politics.

The comment comes on the heels of Governor Siminalayi Fubara withdrawing his participation from the All Progressives Congress, APC, gubernatorial primary.

Speaking during the TV’s programme on Thursday, Oseni described the political situation in the state as a “shame on democracy,” alleging that one person now influences two political parties.

He said the development had revealed the reasons behind Wike’s choice of Fubara as governor in 2023.

Oseni further challenged Fubara’s defection to the All Progressives Congress, APC, saying it did not give the political consolidation he may have been expecting.

The broadcaster said Wike now seems able to hold political structures across party lines, saying that the former Rivers governor has emerged as the kingmaker in deciding who becomes the next governor of the state.

But Oseni wondered whether such political dominance could be sustained, saying too much power for one person could put democratic development at risk.

Oseni said: “What do I say as regards Rivers? That’s a shame on our democracy. Rivers is now two-factor-authentication.

“A man has the collabo right, two political parties joined together, and the man feels like he’s God today.

“Anyway, for Fubara, you have now seen the reason why he chose Fubara.

“If you expect me to come and explain it to you, I will not do that because the Yorubas have been saying that it is with parables that they beat their ‘gidigbo’ drum. It is the sensible ones that will understand it, and it has shown what Fubara is all about.

“You quickly went to join the APC, you couldn’t get consolidation there. So look at you now. Now they have brought Chinda but let us also see. Another battle royal between Wike and Chinda?

“Will Wike be able to hold Chinda’s hands and keep it well? Because what we are seeing more and more is that Wike has taken over Rivers politics, whether you like it or not.

“He is becoming the de facto god of Rivers politics, or if not the…I don’t have to use the word de facto, he has become the god, if he can control two political parties and everybody is moving with him.

“Maybe. Whatever happens, Wike will be the one who will produce the next governor. But how long will this hegemonic position be sustainable? That’s going to be the real test of our democracy.” We can keep fooling ourselves and think it’s a good thing, but it’s not a good thing for our democracy that one man takes it all, because we have seen what happened in Lagos.

“This could lead to Lagos becoming like Rivers if we allow this to continue, and that’s why we must tell ourselves the hard truth at every point in time.”

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Lagos socialite Okechukwu Chibuike Pascal, also known as Chiefpriest, has mocked Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, following his resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary.

It was said that Fubara announced his withdrawal in a statement personally signed by him on Wednesday night and captioned, “My Decision to Withdraw from the Rivers State Gubernatorial Primaries.”

The Governor said his decision followed long conversations with family members, friends and political allies, adding that he would completely back whoever emerges as the party’s governorship candidate.

Fubara indicated that his choice was inspired by the necessity to choose peace, stability and unity in Rivers State above personal ambition.

‎“Leadership is ultimately about sacrifice. There comes a moment when personal ambition must surrender to the larger good of the community. Rivers State is bigger than any individual, and at this critical period, the peace, stability, and unity of our dear state must take precedence over every personal interest,” he said.

Reacting to Fubara’s withdrawal, Chief Priest, in a post via his Instagram profile, stated Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, prevailed in the rift between him and the Governor.

The nightlife promoter emphasized there was an agreement and both sides must keep to it.

He wrote, “Wike won, agreement is agreement.”

Recall that claims made rounds online that Fubara had, during the peace accord with Wike, agreed to the condition that he would not be contesting for a second term in office if reinstated as Governor.

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Rivers State Commissioner for Youths, Hon. Chisom Gbali has resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

He tendered his resignation in a letter dated May 13, addressed to the party’s chairman Ward 1 Oyigbo Local Government Area of the state.

He said it was a decision reached after careful reflection and personal consideration.

“I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the leadership and members of the party for opportunities, relationship and experiences I gained during my time as a member of the party.

“I request that my name be removed from the membership records and registers of the party,” he said.

He resigned few hours after Governor Siminalayi Fubara withdrew from the APC governorship primary.

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The Appeal Committee of the Rivers State All Progressives Congress, APC, House of Assembly Screening Committee, chaired by Abdul Mahmud, has upheld the disqualification of aspirants linked to the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara.

It was gathered that about 33 aspirants that took part in the screening exercise on Saturday were cleared while 65 were disqualified.

The 65 disqualified aspirants were identified as loyalists of Fubara.

Some aspirants who were disqualified have filed 19 appeals, the appeal committee chairman told journalists on Tuesday.

The deadline for filing of appeals is Wednesday, he said.

The committee said the final list of cleared aspirants will be released when the date for appeals elapses.

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Sam Amadi, former chairman of the Nigeria Electricity Regulation Commission (NERC), has said Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, should have known he had no leverage in the fight with his political opponents and godfather cum Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

Amadi made this known in a post via his 𝕏 handle on Monday after the All Progressives Congress (APC) screened out Fubara’s loyalists in the upcoming 2027 elections in favour of Wike’s associates.

It was reported that all the 32 aspirants that Fubara sponsored failed to scale the APC’s screening committee for the 2027 Rivers State Assembly election.

The four-man committee also gave the go-ahead to 29 serving members of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to Wike, led by Deputy Speaker Dumle Maol to participate in the APC primaries.

Reacting to the latest development, Amadi said Fubara lacked the political might to challenge his adversaries.

He said Fubara should not have fought Wike, adding that every fight is on principle.

He wrote: “Sad. Fubara should have known he was without leverage. He can’t do what his opponent can in the political economy of election rigging.

“Sometimes it’s good to fight even if you can’t win. To fight as a dignified person is reward enough.

By the way, Fubara should have not fought his mentor as there is no real reason to fight. Every fight must be principled and not opportunistic. If it be principled, you can sustain it, even if you be bloodied.

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In advance of the party’s 2027 general election primary, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Rivers State chapter has made public the list of candidates who have been vetted and those who have been disqualified.

The list shows that 65 candidates were not cleared to run in the primaries, while 33 candidates were.

Notably, all 32 candidates who were thought to be affiliated with Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s faction were eliminated from the competition.

On the other hand, current members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who supported Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike were exempt.

Members who bought the House of Assembly Expression of Interest and Nomination forms were urged to check their status on the notice board at the party’s state secretariat, which is located at No. 268B Aba Road, Port Harcourt, according to a statement released by the party’s State Publicity Secretary, Chibike Ikenga.

Ikenga went on to say that the party secretariat should handle appeals pertaining to the screening results.

He further stated that the appeal procedure will take place at the party secretariat on Tuesday, May 12, by 10 a.m.

In the meanwhile, the screening committee disqualified the impacted candidates for a number of reasons in a report that was made public.

“Nominations by persons who are not financially up-to-date members of the Party, contrary to Article 9.3 of the Party Constitution, inducement and attempted bribery of Committee members, submission of unsworn affidavits, failure to present voter cards, failure to present Party membership slips or cards, conflicting dates of birth, failure to confirm payment of membership dues by nominators, irregular party membership numbers of nominators, inconsistent names appearing in submitted documents, insufficient nominators with required numbers that fall short of three nominations per ward, and invalid affidavits that failed to disclose material details pertaining to NECO certificates” are some of the reasons.”

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