As the battle of supremacy between the incumbent Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, and his predecessor – former governor Nyesom Wike deepens, the latter has vowed to fight his successor to a standstill.
The godfather and son have been at loggerheads in the past few days over alleged some percentage of the State revenue.
The Rivers State House of Assembly had earlier in the week plotted to impeach Governor Fubara for alleged “misconduct” but that effort was thwarted by the governor’s swift move to the Assembly.
Following the impeachment drama that unfolded on Monday October 30th, 2023, former Governor Wike was fingered to be the hidden masquerade behind it.
However, after days of silence, Wike, now Federal Capital Territory or FCT Minister, speaks up saying he will not relinquish his political structure built in Rivers for Fubara, adding that he does not want to lose his political relevance.
“Anybody who knows me knows too well: what I’ll never take is a threat. You know I will not agree. If heaven will come down, let heaven come down so that everybody will be at rest,” he said after governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party or PDP and the party’s National Working Committee met with him in Abuja on Tuesday.
He added: “Let’s do things right. He said they should bring N20 billion every month; that’s politics. But nobody said this when I was fighting. If you like, accuse me. I won’t even have sleepless nights because, as far as I’m concerned, the right thing must be done.”
President Bola Tinubu had waded in to settle the issue but it is believed Wike has defied the intervention saying it’s internal party “affairs” that will be resolved using “their own mechanism.”
“In politics, there are a lot of internal wranglings. But you’re not going to say that because there are lots of internal wranglings, they’re not going to settle among themselves. I was the instrument. I had every power then to say where things should go,” further told journalists.
He continued: “When things are wrong, you ask questions. It’s a party affair. I don’t feel threatened. I’ll tell the truth and nothing but the truth.”
“It’s a party affair, the party knows how they resolve their own mechanism. It’s not an ethnic affair. Our party is looking into it. That’s what I’ll say. Every politician has his own interests. I don’t want to go into details. All of us are one.”
The power struggle between Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor Nyesom Wike intensifies, as Wike vows to oppose Fubara steadfastly. The conflict, rooted in alleged disagreements over state revenue, has led to the Rivers State House of Assembly's unsuccessful attempt to impeach Fubara for misconduct.
Former Governor Wike, now the Federal Capital Territory Minister, has declared his intention to maintain his political influence in Rivers State, dismissing threats and interventions as external to party mechanisms. He emphasizes that the issue is internal to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and insists on resolving it within party frameworks, despite President Tinubu's efforts to mediate.
Wike asserts the importance of addressing wrongdoings within the party's means and remains unbothered by accusations, focusing instead on ensuring that proper procedures are followed.
