Fresh crisis within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State is deepening uncertainty over the political future of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, whose anticipated re-election bid in 2027 now appears increasingly tied to the unresolved power struggle involving the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
What initially appeared to be a routine internal screening exercise for APC aspirants has rapidly snowballed into a major political controversy, exposing widening cracks within the ruling party and raising fresh concerns over who truly controls the political structure in Rivers State ahead of the next election cycle.
The latest tension followed separate screening exercises conducted in Abuja and at the APC secretariat in Rivers State for governorship, National Assembly, and State House of Assembly aspirants.
Rather than calm the political atmosphere, however, the exercises appear to have heightened suspicions among supporters of Governor Fubara, who believe the process was deliberately designed to sideline aspirants loyal to the governor while strengthening the influence of Mr. Wike within the party.
At the centre of the controversy was Governor Fubara’s appearance before the governorship screening panel in Abuja.
According to sources familiar with the meeting, the governor, who reportedly appeared before the panel on Sunday after missing the initial Saturday schedule, left the venue visibly upset and declined to speak with journalists afterward.
The Southern Examiner gathered that tensions escalated after some members of the screening panel allegedly advised the governor to honour an earlier political understanding said to have been reached with Mr. Wike during the peak of Rivers State’s impeachment crisis.
Mr. Wike was reportedly said to have informed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that Governor Fubara had agreed to forgo a second-term ambition in exchange for the withdrawal of impeachment threats against him.
Although neither camp has publicly confirmed the existence of such an agreement, the allegation has become central to the growing mistrust between both political blocs. The screening process has since generated wider controversy across the state.
A three-member panel handling the Rivers State House of Assembly screening reportedly disqualified 33 out of 98 aspirants, many believed to be loyal to Governor Fubara. The exercise descended further into confusion after the committee secretary, Mr. Tanko Yamowa, publicly disputed the results announced by the committee chairman, insisting that no final decision had been reached regarding the list of cleared aspirants.
The disagreement immediately triggered calls for an investigation into the exercise and fuelled allegations that the screening process had been manipulated in favour of aspirants loyal to Mr. Wike.
Supporters of Governor Fubara alleged that typographical errors and minor documentation issues were selectively used to disqualify their candidates, while aspirants linked to the FCT minister were allegedly cleared without scrutiny.
Some party members also questioned how individuals allegedly not fully integrated into the APC structure were cleared to contest sensitive positions under the party’s platform.
One of the affected aspirants, Gogo Ogute Isaiah, who sought to represent Andoni State Constituency, said he only discovered his disqualification through social media despite fulfilling all screening requirements and paying the prescribed fees.
The controversy has since extended beyond the governor’s political camp. Civil society groups and political observers in Rivers State have openly questioned whether the APC still operates as a political party guided by institutional processes or as a platform dominated by competing political interests aligned with President Tinubu and Mr. Wike.
Charles Jaja, leader of the advocacy group Rights Watch, accused the party leadership of abandoning long-standing members who helped build the APC structure in Rivers State before the influx of powerful political defectors.
“APC is no longer a party built on principle,” Mr. Jaja said. “It has become a marketplace where the Rivers APC is up for auction.”