By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, has bluntly told Governor Siminalayi Fubara that publicly backing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not secure him a second term in 2027.
Wike fired the warning at the weekend during a visit to Enohia Local Government Area of Rivers State, openly dismissing Fubara’s recent defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and his show of loyalty to the President.
Rivers State has been locked in a prolonged power struggle between Wike and his successor, a crisis that led to the burning of the State House of Assembly complex and forced President Tinubu to impose a state of emergency in the state.
Earlier this month, Fubara formally dumped the PDP for the APC after a closed-door meeting with Tinubu in Abuja, a move widely interpreted as a strategic attempt to secure political cover ahead of the next election.
But Wike was unimpressed.
“The issue is not whether you support Tinubu or not. Supporting Tinubu will not earn anybody a ticket,” Wike declared.
He insisted that Rivers politicians had long aligned with Tinubu and accused some of sudden loyalty of political hypocrisy.
“Who in Rivers State is not for Tinubu? That alone cannot guarantee anyone a ticket,” he said.
Wike also accused some of Fubara’s allies of turning against the same Assembly they once dragged to court, despite now chanting loyalty slogans.
“All those shouting ‘on your mandate we stand’ today failed when it mattered most. They could not vote for Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Wike said.
According to the FCT minister, his camp’s support for Tinubu was not opportunistic but based on conviction, stressing that political loyalty alone does not determine who gets a governorship ticket in Rivers State.
PM News