RismadarVoice Reporters, May 27, 2026
Fresh details have emerged on the political crisis in Rivers State, with sources within the All Progressives Congress (APC) alleging that Governor Siminalayi Fubara lost the backing of President Bola Tinubu and the party leadership after reportedly failing to honour reconciliation terms reached with his predecessor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
According to senior APC figures involved in efforts to resolve the prolonged rift, the party leadership declined to officially receive Fubara into the APC after his defection because he allegedly lacked Wike’s approval.
A member of the APC National Working Committee, who spoke anonymously, claimed that President Tinubu had effectively handed the political structure of Rivers State to Wike and advised Fubara to concentrate on governance rather than engaging in party supremacy battles.
“The President intervened during the first impeachment attempt against Fubara and also during the second plot. At that time, there was an understanding that Fubara would not seek a second term, and he agreed,” the source alleged.
The party official further claimed that some APC chieftains later encouraged the governor to challenge Wike politically despite the alleged agreement.
Sources within the party also alleged that Fubara was not cleared by the APC governorship screening committee led by National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda and National Secretary Ajibola Basiru.
An APC chieftain in Abuja claimed the governor left the screening venue in anger after being informed he could not contest on the party’s platform.
“What happened was a disqualification, though it was later presented as a withdrawal from the race,” the source alleged.
A loyalist of the FCT minister also insisted that the APC’s position was based on an earlier political understanding aimed at resolving the Rivers crisis.
According to the ally, Fubara’s survival from impeachment proceedings was linked to the reconciliation arrangement, which allegedly included an agreement not to pursue a second term.
Efforts to obtain an official reaction from the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, were unsuccessful as calls and messages sent to him were not responded to as of press time.
The Rivers political crisis has continued to attract national attention amid ongoing alignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
