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Are you one of those wondering how Gov. Fubara was forced out of the just concluded APC primaries in Rivers State?
We can tell you how it happened. We can also tell you that it was the Nyesom Wike group who planned his abrupt exit. And Kingsley Chinda, the man who, won is the choice of FCT Minister, Nyesome Wike.
Rivers APC is split into 3 factions fighting over who controls the party, ahead of 2027.
The 3 factions are:
(a) Wike/Tony Okocha faction which is ecognized by APC national as the legitimate Rivers APC. Okocha is chairman. This group controls the structure right now. They produced Kingsley Chinda as the sole governorship candidate after everyone else stepped down including Gov. Fubara.
(b) Amaechi/Emeka Beke faction
This faction is backed by Rotimi Amaechi. Beke was elected chairman in 2021, but the NWC suspended him and recognized Okocha. A Rivers High Court reinstated Beke in 2024, but the national APC still backs Okocha.
(c) There is the Fubara faction
Governor Siminalayi Fubara defected to APC in December 2025 and tried to run for governor under APC. He withdrew from the primary a day before voting, saying it was for “party unity”. His allies also allege they were sidelined and some dumped the party.
At the May 21 primary, Kingsley Chinda, Wike’s ally and House Minority Leader, emerged as sole candidate with 268,497 votes after Fubara, Tonye Cole, and George-Kelly withdrew.
Why did they withdraw?
All 3 said it was to respect “party supremacy” and national leadership’s push for unity. In reality, the national APC told them to step aside for Chinda to avoid a messy fight.
Wike’s loyalists swept the House of Reps primaries too. 19 of 23 aspirants cleared are seen as Wike loyalists, 4 Fubara allies were disqualified.
Why is Rivers APC still divided?
There are so many reasons. (1) Court vs National recognition: Beke’s faction has a court ruling reinstating him, but APC national still deals with Okocha. So you have two people claiming to be chairmen.
(2) Fubara vs Wike Cold war: Fubara joined APC to save his governorship after Tinubu brokered a peace deal in 2025. But the deal included him not running in 2027. He had to withdraw.
Amaechi’s camp has also been sidelined. Amaechi’s faction keeps calling for Okocha and APC spokesman Felix Morka to resign. APC National ignores them.
The Wike/Fubara deal was basically to enable Fubara keep his seat and avoid impeachment, in exchange for dropping 2027 and backing Wike/Chinda.
At the May 21 primary, Fubara was cornered.
Since late 2023, Fubara and Wike have been in a war, over control of Rivers structure.
Wike’s camp controlled the House of Assembly and was pushing Impeachment.
Tinubu intervened in Dec 2025, brokered a truce, and Fubara defected to APC to get federal cover.
But the truce came with conditions.
The deal terms that leaked showed what Fubara got:
– No impeachment. Wike agreed to stand down the Assembly.
– Federal backing to finish his term. Tinubu’s team made it clear Fubara wouldn’t be abandoned.
– Allowed to contest the APC primary as a face-saving move.
What did Fubara give up?
– No 2027 run: National leadership told him the ticket was going to Rivers East, and Chinda was the Consensus choice. Fubara’s withdrawal statement said it was “for peace and unity”.
– No structure fight: Wike’s faction kept control of APC state exco and LG structures. Fubara’s allies got disqualified in the House primaries.
– Public loyalty: Fubara had to say he’d support whoever emerged.
What is Pres. Tinubu’s role in all these?
Tinubu’s pitch was simple: “If you fight Wike to finish, Rivers APC splits and PDP takes it back. If you step aside, you keep your seat, I keep Rivers, and we beat PDP together.”
Fubara said in his withdrawal statement that he had “faced immense pressures and difficult choices, but my love for Rivers State remains greater than anything else”. That’s code for “Abuja made me an offer I couldn’t refuse”.
President Tinubu was thanked directly in Fubara’s statement for “support and encouragement”.
Why did Fubara accept the poisonous deal?
Because fighting it would mean impeachment, losing APC, and likely losing the seat.
Also, taking the deal to let him finish 4 years, keep federal projects flowing, and position for 2031 is good.
It also avoids him being blamed for splitting APC and handing Rivers to PDP.
What’s the catch?
Some feel Tinubu traded Fubara’s 2027 ambition for his 2023-2027 governorship and APC’s unity on paper.
But why was Gov. Fubara forced to withdraw last week?
It is because Tinubu and Wike gave him 2 choices: Step down for Chinda, or lose the governorship to impeachment and a PDP takeover.
The impeachment threat was real.
Wike controls the Rivers House of Assembly. Since late 2023 they’ve been trying to impeach Fubara over “disloyalty” and control of state funds.
By May 2026, the Assembly had already issued multiple ultimatums. If Fubara had contested the APC primary and won, the Assembly would have moved to impeach him immediately after. He’d spend 2026-2027 fighting for survival, not campaigning.
Tinubu then brokered a “peace deal” with conditions.
Tinubu brought Fubara and Wike together in Dec 2025. When Fubara defected to APC, the deal was, Fubara gets:
– No impeachment. Assembly stands down.
– Federal backing to finish his 2023-2027 term.
– Allowed to run the APC primary so he could save face.
Fubara Accepted.
No 2027 run. APC national leadership zoned the ticket to Rivers East and picked Kingsley Chinda, Wike’s ally, as Consensus candidate.
– No structure. Wike’s faction keeps control of APC state/LG exco. Fubara’s allies got disqualified in the House primaries.
– Public endorsement. He had to pledge to support whoever emerged.
APC national has made it impossible for Fubara to win. Why?
48 hours before the May 21 primary, Tonye Cole and George-Kelly also withdrew. APC NWC made it clear Chinda was the preferred candidate.
Fubara said in his statement it was “in the overriding interest of party unity, peace, and collective progress” and that he was respecting “party supremacy”.
Observers say he chose a bad deal over a worse one
If he refused:
He would lose the primary anyway due to structure disadvantage.
He would be impeached right after.
He would be made to look like the guy who split APC and handed Rivers to PDP.
By withdrawing, he keeps the governorship, keeps federal projects flowing, and can position for 2031.
So his exit from the primaries wasn’t voluntary. It was a forced sacrifice. Tinubu used the impeachment threat as leverage to force Fubara to trade 2027 for 2023-2027.
According to the June 2025 deal, Fubara agreed to:
– Finish his 2023-2027 term peacefully
– Not contest in 2027
– Let Wike nominate all 23 LG chairmen
Fubara himself confirmed the agreement in the meeting with Tinubu. Wike keeps saying “the details will be made public”.
Fubara’s allies argue he signed under duress during the state of emergency. They call it a “surrender deal”. In Nigerian politics, agreements made under pressure rarely hold.
Fubara outmaneuvered Wike structurally
After defecting to APC, Fubara started building his own base inside the party. During the May 2027 APC screening, his allies clashed with Wike’s camp. The idea is: if he controls APC structure by 2026, he can contest regardless of the deal.
Wike publicly accused Fubara of “reneging on agreements” and “breach of trust”. He said Fubara agreed to things before Tinubu and then backed out.
What is Fubara’s camp doing right now?
It is refusing to cede cabinet control. The fresh row is over Commissioner slots. Fubara wants to retain 8 Commissioners from before the emergency. Wike’s camp wants fresh nominees.
Unless something breaks the deal, Fubara will stay as governor till May 29, 2027.
The deal protects his term.
The June 2025 truce brokered by Pres. Tinubu had one clear trade: Fubara drops 2027, Wike drops impeachment.
No one has a motive to remove him now.
Tinubu needs Rivers stable for 2027. Impeaching Fubara would hand the state back to PDP and split APC.
Wike gets to run APC and produce the governor through Chinda. Removing Fubara now would make him look like the aggressor and risk federal backlash.
Fubara needs the seat to keep federal allocations and build structure for post-2027.
Because Wike’s faction runs the party, Fubara’s allies got disqualified at the primaries.
So, the bottom line is: Fubara stays as Governor, but he has no control of APC and can’t run again. He’s essentially a lame duck.
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