PORT HARCOURT — Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared that Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara emerged as the biggest loser in the political crisis that engulfed the state, insisting that the governor had squandered his chances of securing a second term in office.
Speaking during a media chat in Port Harcourt on Saturday, Wike said Fubara’s political troubles were self-inflicted, blaming them on what he described as poor judgment and the influence of advisers who misled the governor throughout the crisis.
According to the former Rivers State governor, those around Fubara deceived him into taking decisions that deepened the political impasse rather than seeking reconciliation, leaving him politically weakened.
Wike maintained that one of the clearest indications that Fubara had lost political control was his inability to conduct and preside over the last local government election that eventually produced the current chairmen across the 23 local government areas of the state.
He also pointed to the governor’s lack of influence over the Rivers State House of Assembly, arguing that a governor who has no effective control of the legislature cannot be said to be fully in charge of the state’s political machinery.
“The biggest loser is the governor himself. He listened to wrong advice from people who misled him and encouraged him to confront those who helped him. Today, he has lost the opportunity for a second term because of those decisions,” Wike said.
The FCT minister stressed that politics requires wisdom, consultation and loyalty, adding that leaders must distinguish between genuine advisers and individuals pursuing selfish interests.
Wike further argued that the events of the past months had significantly altered Rivers State’s political landscape, insisting that the governor’s current political standing was a direct consequence of the choices he made during the crisis.
The prolonged political conflict in Rivers State led to a bitter power struggle between Wike and his former political ally, Governor Fubara, resulting in divisions within the state’s executive and legislative arms, as well as legal battles over the control of political structures and local government administration.
Despite recent reconciliation efforts involving President Bola Tinubu and key political stakeholders, Wike insisted during the media chat that the political reality remained that Governor Fubara had suffered the greatest setback from the crisis.
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