Ihunwo defends loyalty to Fubara, Wike

Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara addresses an audience at a project commissioning in July 2023. ABORISADEADETONA / Wikimedia Commons. Available under CC0 for reuse, including commercial publication.

Former Obio/Akpor Local Government chairman Chijioke Ihunwo has defended his allegiance to Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, saying he accepts both men’s leadership despite questions about his own political independence.

During an appearance on Arise News’ The Morning Show on Tuesday, Ihunwo said he remained comfortable working under the two politicians and dismissed suggestions that the arrangement diminished his standing.

“I'm serving the two of them,” he said.

The exchange centred on how Ihunwo understood his position within the leadership structure involving Fubara and Wike. The interviewers questioned what influence he exercised personally, given his acknowledgement of the governor’s authority and the minister’s political leadership.

They also challenged him to explain why a politician who had already led a local government council would continue to define his role principally through loyalty to other officeholders.

“What is your stake in this matter?”

Ihunwo rejected the suggestion that he needed to distance himself from either man to establish his political relevance. He said he had no objection to the interviewers describing him as a “boy boy” and maintained that the political relationship was acceptable to him.

He presented his support for Fubara and Wike as part of a common political arrangement, repeatedly stressing that those involved were working together. Rather than dispute the description of himself as a follower, he defended his willingness to continue serving under their leadership.

When the discussion turned to who occupied the foremost position in Rivers State, Ihunwo identified Fubara as the state’s number one. He maintained that the governor remained his direct principal while acknowledging Wike’s leadership within their political alignment.

Ihunwo also described Rivers State as peaceful and said the political actors involved had moved towards cooperation. Those assurances represented his assessment of the situation in the state.

His comments form part of a series of public explanations he has offered about working with politicians on both sides of the prolonged disagreement between Fubara and Wike.

In a 17 January interview with Arise News, Ihunwo had criticised political interference in the governor’s administration and argued that Rivers residents’ electoral mandate should take precedence over the demands of individual political patrons. He also urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the crisis.

By August, he was publicly defending his involvement in the Rainbow Coalition associated with Wike. Explaining that position during an appearance on TVC’s Beyond the Headlines, as reported by The Punch, Ihunwo said he was following Fubara’s instruction to embrace reconciliation.

He maintained at the time that cooperation with Wike’s supporters did not amount to abandoning the governor. He also said he would work with the coalition in Obio/Akpor ahead of the 2027 elections.

The rapprochement subsequently extended to other supporters of the governor. Arise News reported on 20 October that Wike had met Fubara-aligned youth leaders and political associates in Port Harcourt, urging them to reconcile their differences and mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election.

At that gathering, former Port Harcourt mayor Ezebunwo Ichemati spoke on behalf of Fubara’s supporters and expressed their willingness to work with the Rainbow Coalition. He said the governor knew about and supported the engagement.

During Tuesday’s interview, Ihunwo also addressed questions about his own political future. He recalled his service as an elected council chairman and credited Fubara with providing the opportunity that enabled him to hold the position.

He described that experience as a privilege and said his present willingness to follow established leaders did not mean he had exhausted his prospects in politics.

“I still have more time.”

Pressed further about developing a leadership role beyond his association with the governor and the minister, Ihunwo pointed to his age. He indicated that he remained willing to serve within the existing arrangement while leaving room for future opportunities.

“I'm not up to 40 years.”