The All Progressives Congress has formally crowned Governor Siminalayi Fubara the de-facto party boss in Rivers.
National chairman Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda sealed the deal at the weekend, promising the governor full backing for a second term—so long as he wins the internal primary.
The move sharpens the knife-fight between Fubara and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike. While the APC now closes ranks behind the governor, Wike swears that a Fubara return in 2027 would leave his own career “dead and buried.”
In a TV chat, Yilwatda said the rule is simple: once you’re sworn in, you run the state chapter.
“Governor Fubara is leader of APC in Rivers,” he said. “We give every sitting governor that chair, but they must carry every stakeholder along.”
On 2027, the chairman stressed there’ll be no coronation. “We ran a proper primary in Ekiti where the incumbent slugged it out with others. Same here—if Fubara wants the ticket, he’ll earn it.”
Asked about Wike’s lingering clout, Yilwatda cut the tape.
“Election talks are for card-carrying members. Wike is PDP, not APC. We deal with Fubara.”
Pressed further, he shrugged: “I chair APC, not every party in Nigeria.”
Wike Draws a Red Line .
Hours earlier, Wike told Okrika stakeholders that a second Fubara term equals political suicide for him.
“We’ve decided on Tinubu. The other one? Over my dead body. If we repeat that mistake, we’ll dig our own grave—and I won’t jump in.”
He again ridiculed Fubara’s “001” APC card, pledging to stop the governor’s rerun bid.
