The simmering feud between Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, now FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has taken a dramatic turn, with Governor Fubara breaking his silence and revealing the true cause of their fallout. Dispelling widespread speculation about a fight over political dominance, Fubara shocked many by declaring that the clash was over control of the state's vast resources.
“There is a reason for this crisis, and that reason is the control of the resources of Rivers State,” Governor Fubara revealed on Sunday, while speaking at the 51st birthday celebration of Omega Power Ministry’s founder, Chibuzor Chinyere, in Port Harcourt. His comments came before a high-profile audience, including former First Lady Patience Jonathan and PDP Board of Trustees chairperson Adolphus Wabara.
According to Fubara, his administration remains committed to protecting the wealth of Rivers for the benefit of its people. “Rivers State resources belong to you, and we will make sure that the resources are applied judiciously for the betterment of Rivers State,” he assured. The governor, flanked by key political figures, urged the people to pray for the state’s leadership to resist “the devil’s” attempts to derail them.
The governor’s bold remarks mark a turning point in the ongoing political crisis that has rocked Rivers State for over a year. While he avoided naming Wike directly, the target of his comments was unmistakable. Fubara’s chief of staff, Edison Ehie, had made a similar claim earlier in the year, alleging that the state’s troubles began when a select group of political leaders demanded exclusive control over Rivers’ vast wealth.
Rivers State, blessed with Nigeria’s second-highest Gross Domestic Product after Lagos, is an economic powerhouse with immense internally generated revenue. BudgIT, a nonprofit that champions budget transparency, has noted that Rivers is one of the few states in Nigeria capable of sustaining itself without federal allocations, underscoring the stakes in this struggle over state resources.
In a sensational twist, Fubara’s initial move to cement his power led to an attempt at impeachment by lawmakers aligned with Wike, just five months after he took office. The internal strife saw Ehie, a trusted ally of Fubara, ousted as the Assembly’s leader by pro-Wike members for resisting the governor’s impeachment. This factional infighting created two rival legislative factions, with Ehie even temporarily leading a splinter assembly before stepping down after a peace deal was brokered by President Bola Tinubu.
The fragile truce, however, was short-lived. While Fubara’s camp honored the peace pact and withdrew their lawsuits, pro-Wike lawmakers allowed their own cases to proceed, blindsiding the governor and dealing a devastating political blow. On Wednesday, Governor Fubara accused his opponents of “ambushing” him by failing to uphold their end of the bargain, effectively nullifying the peace agreement.
