“Bury Me If Fubara Wins Second Term”; Wike
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said his political career would suffer irreversible damage if Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, secures a second term in office.
Wike made the statement on Saturday while addressing stakeholders at a meeting in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State. Although he did not mention Governor Fubara by name, the minister made it clear that a decisive position had already been taken ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
“We have made a decision as far as Tinubu is concerned. The other one — no way. Because if we make another mistake, then we will go and bury ourselves politically,” Wike said. “I will not allow myself to be buried. I will not allow that mistake again. So everybody should know we have made a decision.”
Wike has intensified his criticism of Fubara following the governor’s defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) last month. He accused the governor of breaching the terms of a peace agreement that was reached before the lifting of the emergency rule in Rivers State, which paved the way for Fubara’s return to office.
Earlier in the week, the FCT minister described the situation in Rivers as a “leadership mistake” that would be corrected in 2027. He also promised to reveal details of the agreement that restored Fubara to power.
“We will not make the same mistake again at the state level in 2027, but we will talk about it later when the time comes,” Wike said, stressing that leaders must place the will of the people above personal interests.
At another stakeholders’ meeting on Friday in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, Wike dismissed claims that Fubara’s support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would automatically secure the governor’s re-election.
“If you played well with the first one and succeeded, do you think you can succeed with the second one? There cannot be two markets in one day,” he said, in an apparent reference to previous peace deals.
Wike warned against assurances that aligning with Tinubu alone would guarantee victory in 2027.
“So, whoever is assuring you that everything will be fine once you sign on your mandate, you are mistaken,” he said. “All of us have decided to work for Bola Ahmed Tinubu. There is no discussion about that.”
He added that steps were being taken to avoid repeating past errors, insisting that full support would be mobilised for the president.
Questioning Fubara’s leadership style, Wike criticised the governor’s relationship with political stakeholders across the state.
“Someone who cannot relate with local government chairmen, state assembly members and national assembly members — what kind of leadership do you want to provide?” he asked.
Wike also reacted to Fubara’s New Year remarks, in which the governor reportedly dismissed his comments as “noise.” The former Rivers governor insisted that Fubara owed his emergence as governor to him, despite lacking popularity at the time.
“I made him governor even when he was not popular among the people,” Wike said.
