The political landscape of Rivers State has been further upended following a searing indictment of Governor Siminalayi Fubara by a former close confidant and erstwhile factional Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Robinson Ewor.
In a public declaration during the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory’s “thank you” visit to the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, Mr Ewor alleged that the Governor had systematically misled his supporters into believing he was the victim of intimidation at the hands of his predecessor, Nyesom Wike.
Mr Ewor, who had previously led a splinter faction of the PDP in opposition to the Minister’s camp, confessed to having followed the Governor “wholeheartedly,” under the impression that Mr Wike was being unnecessarily hostile. He expressed profound regret upon discovering what he described as a lack of sincerity on the Governor’s part, particularly regarding the failure to uphold the peace accords brokered by the Presidency.
“Leadership is the ability to reconcile quarrels and disagreements,” Mr Ewor asserted. “The turmoil in Rivers State has lingered because the truth was not told. One day, one by one, they will discover the truth, and the truth shall set them free.”
The former ally was particularly critical of the Governor’s failure to adhere to the terms of the intervention by President Bola Tinubu. “For the President to mediate twice and you fail to keep the terms… you cannot be trusted,” he remarked, questioning the Governor’s commitment to political stability.
In a symbolic gesture of reconciliation, Mr Ewor formally dissolved his factional structure, handing over the PDP chairmanship to Mr Aaron Chukwuemeka, the party chairman aligned with the Minister. He declared that the era of factionalism within the Rivers PDP had reached its conclusion, with the party now unified under the sole leadership of the FCT Minister.
This sentiment was reinforced by Felix Obuah, a former state chairman of the party, who maintained that the people of the region remain resolute in their support for President Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope” mandate for 2027. “Nobody can stop the people’s choice,” Mr Obuah noted, praising the Minister’s “remarkable” influence on the state’s political trajectory.
Responding to the show of solidarity, Mr Wike observed that the unity displayed in the council area rendered it a “no-go area” for opposition forces. He reiterated his camp’s commitment to supporting President Tinubu in 2027, characterising the move as a necessary step to “correct the mistakes” made during the 2023 electoral cycle in Rivers State.
Addressing the persistent criticisms levelled against him, the Minister attributed the opposition’s vitriol to professional jealousy. “In politics, when people cannot do what you are doing, they envy you and work against you,” he stated, concluding that his political momentum remains “unstoppable.”
