Why Fubara wasn’t allowed to seek second term — Wike

Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, asserts that political turmoil and misguided counsel are the reasons Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State will not pursue a second term. Wike, a former governor of Rivers, stated that he repeatedly advised Fubara against deviating from the political foundation that supported his rise to power.

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I said, look, don’t derail. I came as governor, I had crisis. When I came as governor, there was nothing. They didn’t even relocate the Government House.

"I said, look, don’t derail. I came as governor, I had crisis. When I came as governor, there was nothing. They didn’t even relocate the Government House," Wike recalled during a media chat. He described inheriting an administration with minimal resources, even having to borrow ceremonial vehicles from former Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko. Wike emphasized that he had prepared the Government House and provided vehicles before leaving office.

Wike expressed disappointment that Fubara did not build upon the established foundation, questioning, "Somebody had laid a foundation. Look, this is where I stopped. If you continue this way, our dream is to be able to compete with Lagos. What is wrong with that?"

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When I came, I had to borrow vehicles from the former governor of Ondo, Mimiko, these parade vehicles. Nobody kept any vehicle; I didn’t have one vehicle. But before I left as governor, I packed out from Government House one and a half years before. I renovated Government House. I bought vehicles for the governor, the deputy governor and the governor’s wife. I did that.

The FCT minister alleged that individuals who initially opposed Fubara's governorship later became his close associates, encouraging him to confront his political benefactors. "Those who didn’t want you to be governor now became your friends. Obviously, they will destroy you, thinking that coming closer to you is to fight us," Wike stated. He maintained that he has lost nothing, while Fubara's ambition for a second term has been thwarted.

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Somebody had laid a foundation. Look, this is where I stopped. If you continue this way, our dream is to be able to compete with Lagos. What is wrong with that?

Wike also indicated that reconciliation efforts failed due to fundamental political considerations and the influence of external forces aiming to control Rivers State for financial benefits. "There are external forces who want to hijack Rivers State. You don’t allow them to hijack Rivers State. There are those who see Rivers State as a cash cow," he said.

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Somebody comes, and that’s why you have to be careful. Those who didn’t want you to be governor now became your friends. Obviously, they will destroy you, thinking that coming closer to you is to fight us. At the end of the fight, I have not lost anything. What have I lost? Nothing. But you have lost. Your intention was to go for a second term, is it not correct? And you are not going.