Fubara Not Rivers APC Leader, His Re-election Not Guaranteed – Wike

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed claims that Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has become the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state following his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), insisting that the move does not guarantee the governor’s re-election in 2027.

Speaking during a media chat on Monday, Wike mocked Fubara’s defection, describing it as belated and lacking the political structure required to command leadership within the APC in Rivers State.

According to the former Rivers State governor, political leadership is not conferred by office or defection but by grassroots control, which he claimed remains firmly in his camp.

“Defecting to another party does not make you the leader,” Wike said. “Leadership is not because you are a governor or a minister. You must have something to offer. Politics is about structure, not slogans.”

Wike argued that before Fubara left the PDP, 22 local government chairmen and more than half of the Rivers State House of Assembly members had already defected to the APC, stressing that the governor did not move with any meaningful political base.

“There is nothing like ‘001’ in politics,” he added. “You register in your ward. Being first to register does not make you leader.”

The FCT minister further declared that he remains the dominant political force in Rivers State, boasting that his supporters control local government and ward structures across the state.

On his relationship with the PDP, Wike openly stated that he has decided to leave the party, adding that his loyalists across the country would follow him. He also downplayed the threat of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, insisting that only the PDP, if united, could pose a serious challenge.

“If there should be any opposition to APC, it should have been PDP,” Wike said. “I don’t see where ADC is rising. Politics is local.”

Wike also rejected claims by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde that he promised to weaken the PDP for Tinubu ahead of 2027, describing the allegation as a “blatant lie.” He accused Makinde of misrepresenting facts and acting out of frustration over political disagreements.

The minister further alleged that the breakdown of the Rivers peace agreement brokered by President Tinubu was due to Fubara’s failure to honour his commitments, particularly in his dealings with the state House of Assembly.

At a separate event in Rivers State, Wike declared that the APC and PDP had effectively collapsed into one political family in support of Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, urging party members to set aside partisan differences for development.

“In Rivers State, APC and PDP have become one family,” he said. “What matters is working together for the people.”

PDP, Professionals Hit Back

Reacting, the PDP said Wike’s comments during the media chat had validated allegations of anti-party activities against him and justified his expulsion.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the party accused Wike of openly supporting the APC while claiming PDP membership, describing his actions as “anti-democratic adventurism.”

The party vowed to field a credible presidential candidate in 2027, insisting that no individual could hijack or personalise the PDP.

Similarly, PDP Professionals described Wike’s remarks as evidence of frustration over his inability to rally credible support for Tinubu’s re-election. The group accused him of engaging in diversionary attacks and warned that efforts to undermine the opposition ahead of 2027 would fail.

They maintained that the PDP remains resilient and capable of rebuilding ahead of the next general election.

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