Former Rivers State Governor and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has asserted that Governor Siminalayi Fubara will encounter increased political adversities, amidst the escalating crisis in the state.
Wike’s pronouncement was delivered during a Thanksgiving Service and Civic Reception held in his honor in Abalama, Asari-Toru Local Government Area. This visit was conducted despite significant community opposition, as residents and their monarch publicly rejected the event due to heightened political tensions.
Prior to the event, demonstrations erupted, with protesters blocking roads and holding placards to express their dissent. Videos circulating on social media captured residents, including women and youths, voicing their opposition and demanding Wike’s absence. Their resentment was fueled, in part, by Wike’s previous assertion that the Kalabari people are a minority within the state.
The Amayanabo of Abalama, King Dr. A. B. Big Tom Tom JP, had formally disassociated the community from the event. In a letter addressed to the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, he conveyed his surprise at learning of the program through social media and cited security concerns as the basis for his rejection.
The political landscape in Rivers State has been further complicated by a recent Supreme Court ruling that suspended federal allocations to the state until Governor Fubara presents the 2025 budget to the state House of Assembly, which is controlled by Wike’s ally, Martins Amaewhule. The Assembly, over which Fubara has struggled to establish authority, adjourned plenary indefinitely last Friday, hindering the budget presentation.
In his address, Wike disparaged Fubara’s leadership, attributing his political challenges to his advisors. “You (Fubara) surrounded yourself with people who wanted to be governor, whom I said ‘no, these people don’t mean well for Rivers State.’ They are the ones surrounding you, giving you advice. Do you think you will succeed? They will give bad advice, and look at what bad advice is doing to you. You are already down 2-0, and there’s more to come,” Wike declared.
