Wike: “Why I Fell Out With Fubara”, Warns: “Be Careful, I Have Capacity To Fight Back”

By Gideon Njoku

Nyesom Wike, the immediate-past Governor of Rivers State, has hinted at the reasons why he fell out with his successor in office  and political godson, Governor Siminalayi Fubara. Wike, now the Minister for the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, also, told those he said are fighting him that he is not one to he toyed with. “Be careful, I have the capacity to fight back”, he warned.

Wike said this when he met with the Governors of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Abuja on Wednesday. From what Wike said, his face-off with Fubara is all about his political structure in the State. It is all about power. He also accused Fubara of dining with the enemy by bringing in those who fought him, Wike, when he was struggling to make Fubara Governor, close.

“You cannot work, and people will begin to bring enemies, those who fought you when you were struggling for the person to be in office. Nobody does that”, Wike said.

It was the first time Wike would meet with PDP Governors since the Presidential Primary of the Party when he lost to the PDP Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and also was sidelined for the former Governor of Delta State, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, in Atiku’s choice of a running mate.

For the losses, Wike turned coat and worked for the then Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, against PDP and Atiku in the Presidential Election. Tinubu  was declared the winner by INEC, and, subsequently, affirmed duly elected by the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

Wike’s meeting with the PDP Governors was a consequence of the face-off he had on Monday with Fubara.

The disagreement between godfather and godson boiled over when the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to Wike attempted to impeach the Governor on Monday. On the eve of the plan, the House of Assembly complex was set on fire by political thugs ostensibly to prevent the House from sitting so as not to begin an impeachment process against the Governor.

However, some of the members still converged on Monday and suspended those loyal to the Governor, including the House Leader, Edison Ehie.

A shocked Governor who visited the Assembly Complex Monday morning, accompanied by his supporters, to assess the damage was, according to him, shot directly at, tear-gassed and water- cannoned by Police Personnel stationed at the Assembly.

His supporters alleged an assassination plot. But the Governor, who for the first time, took charge, since he was sworn into office, May 29, 2023, let it be known that: “I am the Chief Security Officer of the State and the Head of Government. Asserting his authority, again, for the first time, he dismissed the suspension of his loyalists in the Assembly as “rubbish.”

Then, surprisingly, he rallied his supporters round, reversed the suspension, and instead engineered the suspension of the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule and the ringleaders in the impeachment saga. The Leader of the House who had earlier been suspended, Ehie, was nominated  the new Speaker. His first assignment: He suspended Amaewhule and the impeachment ringleaders. He, also, adjourned the House indefinitely.

Speculations have been rife over what caused the crisis between Wike and Fubara. “It’s all about money, the treasury of the State which Wike still wants to control”, some people said. Some said “It’s because Fubara had become tired of Wike breathing down his neck and running the State from Abuja.”

However, speaking during his meeting with PDP Governors, Wike said in more than a few words that the face-off is all about his political structure in the State. “I will not allow anybody to to tamper with the political structure in Rivers”, he said.

He, also, dismissed as “absolute rubbish”, the talks that the face-off was because of the finances of the State. Wike, also, did not see anything wrong in the attempt to impeach the Governor. He said impeachment is not a military coup, but something in line with the provision  of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Wike: “Nobody can take away the political structure in Rivers. Nobody can intimidate me. If I want to do something, I will do it.

“The impeachment is not a military coup. It is provided under the Constitution. Also, I am not interested in all the rumours, money this, and that. Rubbish. Absolute rubbish.

“I just left the office how many months ago? And, I am FCT Minister, so which money? But nobody can take away our political structure. No one.

“You cannot work, and people will begin to bring enemies, those who fought you when you were struggling for the person to be in office. Nobody does that.

“I am not a political ingrate. But don’t touch the political structure of the State. I will not shut my eyes.

“Forget about the Obidients and the Atikus who have lost and felt that I did not support them, and those that I revoked their Certificate of Occupancy.

“Oh, Wike did this, Wike did that because I didn’t support Obi, and didn’t support their own Presidential Candidate  and, all of you just teamed up: ‘Wike! Wike! Wike!’

“I am not disturbed. I will do what is right, and my conscience is clear. I am not the person that you think you can go on Social Media and say all kinds of things.

“You must be careful. I have the capacity to fight back.”

Wike, also, assured the PDP Governors led by the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum/ Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, that he is still a PDP member, working for President Bola Tinubu. “I am not working for APC”, he said.

President Bola Tinubu has since waded into the face-off between Minister Wike and Governor Fubara.