How Gov. FUBARA Lost His 2nd Term Bid

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Over the last few months, many political watchers have been wondering what was happening to Rivers Governor, Siminalayi Fubara. Many wanted to know if he was still going for a 2nd term or not.

We gathered that Fubara has lost the backing of President Bola Tinubu and the leadership of the All Progressives Congress in the prolonged power tussle with his predecessor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

Party leaders of the APC involved in efforts to resolve what remained of  the crisis between Fubara and Wike informed that the governor fell out with the President and the ruling party after allegedly reneging on reconciliation terms.

An insider revealed that the APC leadership refused to officially welcome Fubara into the party after his defection, because he did not have Wike’s blessings.

The President was said to have handed over the political structure of Rivers State to Wike. Fubara joined the party to outsmart Wike in a desperate move to secure a second term. That didn’t work as planned. But the party leadership already knew the body language of the President. That was why no official reception was given to Fubara after he joined the APC,” the party official said.

He added, “The President advised him to focus on Governance and leave Wike alone for party politics. The President intervened and saved him from the first impeachment plot against him (Fubara).

“On the second impeachment plot as well, the President told him to focus on Governance and leave Wike alone. It was at that time that all parties agreed that he would not go for a second term. Fubara agreed to that, and that is why Wike always says, ‘Agreement is Agreement.’

The allegation is that once the governor settles in Port Harcourt, some people always advise him against Wike, telling him he is the Governor and the leader of the party.

The source said it was impossible for the APC leadership to support Fubara’s second-term ambition, knowing it was against the settlement terms and that Tinubu was not in support.

The insider added that Fubara might have been misled by some APC chieftains who assured him of the party’s support.

“Even on this ongoing governorship matter, I am aware the party leadership told him that the Presidency and the Governors’ Forum were not on his side. Fubara had even told some party officials that he would not attend the governorship screening exercise, only for him to appear before the screening committee in Abuja.

“The body language of the President is that Wike is in charge of Rivers politics, and Fubara should have seen that. Fubara did not have input in the screening committee of the APC for Rivers House of Assembly and National Assembly aspirants. All his candidates were disqualified.

“The structure of the Rivers APC primary was given to Wike. Wike is in control of Rivers politics and, until something changes, he will continue to hold sway in the state,” he added.

Fubara was not cleared by the party’s governorship screening committee headed by its National Chairman, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, and National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru.

That was why he left hurriedly in anger. Recall that he stormed out of the screening venue angrily. He had a very bitter look on his face. He was not cleared; he was told he could not contest under the party. That means he was disqualified from the race.

“That he withdrew from the race is face-saving. A person who has been disqualified cannot participate in the primary. That was what happened,” a source said.

One of the loyalists of the FCT minister also confirmed that Fubara was barred from contesting by the APC, boasting that “Wike has sealed the governor’s fate.”

The APC was “simply following the agreement that Fubara would not contest for a second term.”

“That is not power play or wickedness; it is simply honouring an agreement that Fubara himself agreed to. He would not have escaped impeachment if not for the President and Wike himself. Part of the agreement to settle the recurrent political crisis in Rivers then was that he would not contest for a second term, and he agreed.

“APC is just working towards that agreement, and that was why Fubara was not cleared to contest,” he added.

Recall that Fubara officially left the Peoples Democratic Party for the APC on December 9, 2025.

The governor thereafter visited the National Secretariat of the APC on December 17, where he pledged to collaborate with the party to ensure President Tinubu and the APC secured victory across all levels in 2027.

The National Chairman of the APC, Yilwatda, described Fubara’s defection as significant, noting that it completed the alignment of the South-South region with the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Despite this, the party refused to organise an official reception for Fubara after his defection.

All the PDP governors, including Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Douye Diri (Bayelsa) and Peter Mbah (Enugu), who joined the APC, were officially received into the party by a delegation usually led by Vice President Kashim Shettima.

But Fubara was not given such a reception, a development that had earlier signalled the governor’s low standing in the party. APC National Chairman, Yilwatda had, in February, explained that Fubara had not been formally welcomed into the party because of “regional sensitivities.”

Recall that Fubara survived three impeachment plots as the political crisis in the state escalated at different times. The first impeachment plot against the governor began on October 30, 2023, barely five months after he assumed office.

About 24 lawmakers reportedly signed the impeachment notice, a move that triggered chaos at the Assembly complex in Port Harcourt, including protests, teargas and a fire incident at the Assembly chamber.

That 2023 attempt was later withdrawn in December 2023 after President Tinubu brokered a peace deal between the factions.

During the peak of the political crisis between Fubara and Wike in March 2025, the lawmakers, led by the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, also moved to impeach Fubara and his deputy, which then generated tension in the state.

Tinubu, on March 18, 2025, declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending Fubara, the Deputy Governor, Ngozi Odu, and all members of the State House of Assembly for six months.

The President appointed a retired Rear Admiral, Ibok-Ete Ibas, as the sole Administrator. However, Tinubu announced the end of the state of emergency on September 17, 2025.

The third impeachment plot against Fubara began on January 8, 2026, when the lawmakers formally commenced impeachment proceedings against him over alleged gross misconduct, which was also ultimately quashed.

-Culled from The NAIJAONPOINT Newspaper