Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has disclosed that he was actively in support of removing Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara from office, but that move was halted by the intervention of President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking during a media briefing in Abuja on Friday, Wike stated that while he personally opposed the declaration of a state of emergency in his home state, the president’s decision ultimately shielded the governor from being removed.
President Tinubu had declared a state of emergency in Rivers State on March 18, 2025, which led to the suspension of Governor Fubara, his deputy, and the state legislature.
An administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd), was appointed to oversee the state’s affairs during the transition.
Wike, a key player in the ongoing political turmoil in Rivers, maintained that the governor’s continued hold on power had become unsustainable prior to the federal government’s intervention.
“The governor was gone. He was gone, yes… so when people say the president did this, I say they should be praising him,” he said.
“Every morning, they should go to the president and ask, ‘Can we wash your feet for saving us?’”
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has expressed willingness to engage in peace talks amid the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State. However, he alleged that Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s advisers have been discouraging the suspended governor from pursuing reconciliation.
