The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has accused Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, of being the mastermind behind the escalating violence in the state. Wike, who spoke during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, called on Fubara to obey the rule of law if peace is to be restored in Rivers.
“There is peace when you obey the rule of law. There is peace when you obey court judgments,” Wike stated, emphasizing that Fubara’s defiance of court rulings is fueling unrest in the state.
The ongoing feud between Wike and Fubara reached a boiling point following the controversial local government elections held over the weekend. Despite a court ruling that barred the police and the Department of State Services (DSS) from providing security for the elections—and instructed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to release voter registers—the Fubara-led government went ahead with the poll.
In a stunning outcome, the Action Peoples Party (APP) swept 22 local government areas (LGAs), while the Action Alliance (AA) clinched victory in one LGA. However, the election aftermath was marked by chaos, with three council secretariats set ablaze and properties destroyed. The violence escalated after the swearing-in of the newly elected chairpersons and councillors on Monday, plunging Rivers into further crisis.
Governor Fubara has since vowed to bring the perpetrators of the attacks to justice, setting up a panel to investigate the incidents. But Wike, who governed Rivers State from 2015 to 2023, maintained that the violence is a direct result of Fubara’s refusal to follow legal protocols.
“When I was governor, I always obeyed the rule of law,” Wike said. “The moment you don’t obey court judgments, you are inviting anarchy and violence. Was that destruction done before now?”
Wike did not mince words in his critique of Fubara, accusing the governor of publicly defying court orders and setting a dangerous precedent. “A governor came out on national television to tell the world that I will not obey court judgment. He said there is nowhere in the judgment that the court said the election should not hold. He went so far as to say, ‘I don’t need police before I conduct the election.’”
The former Rivers State governor concluded by blaming Fubara for the ongoing violence, claiming that the governor’s actions have led the state down a path of lawlessness and disorder. “In that case, who is the perpetrator of that violence? It’s not about blaming anyone else. The governor is the architect of the violence in Rivers,” Wike asserted.
