Fubara’s political mistake was that he tried to build his own structure – Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s biggest political mistake was attempting to build his own political structure too soon after assuming office.

Speaking during a media chat in Port Harcourt on Saturday, August 1, Wike said Fubara should have strengthened the political structure that brought him to power instead of trying to establish a separate base.

Wike, who served as Rivers governor from 2015 to 2023, played a key role in Fubara’s emergence as governor. However, shortly after Fubara assumed office, both men became embroiled in a prolonged political crisis that divided the state’s political landscape.

The conflict saw lawmakers loyal to Wike initiate impeachment proceedings against Fubara before both camps later reached a truce. As part of the reconciliation, Fubara withdrew from the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary after initially being screened alongside Wike ally Kingsley Chinda. The governor later endorsed Chinda as his preferred successor, saying his decision was made in the interest of peace, unity and political stability in Rivers State.

Reflecting on the dispute, Wike said he had expected Fubara to build on the foundation laid by his administration to enable Rivers compete with Lagos in terms of infrastructural development. According to him, the governor instead sought to govern independently without recognising the political support that made his election possible.

Wike also said Fubara failed to distinguish between well-meaning political advice and counsel that could harm his administration. He said: “In this game, you have schoolmates, village relations, and all kinds of people. There are those who will mean well for you. There are those who do not mean well for you.

“Now, you got to the office, someone now says to you, ‘Yes, he (Wike) has supported you and must things be in his name? Why not just try to put yourself? And let people know it came through you’. He made a mistake by saying that I can do it alone. Those who gave me support, I don’t care. I don’t need them.”

Wike said it became clear within Fubara’s first 100 days in office that the governor was attempting to create his own political structure instead of working with the existing one. He said: “He tried to set up his own structure as against the structure that built him. It did not take up to 100 days, we saw it. We said something must be fundamentally wrong. In politics, you have to be very careful.”