Wike says Fubara could become minister

FCT Minister Nyesom Wike. File photograph taken in July 2015. Hygist / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike has said Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara could receive a ministerial appointment in future, dismissing suggestions that the governor’s political opportunities would end after his tenure.

Speaking during a media chat on Thursday, 5 November, Wike argued that Fubara remained young and that his present circumstances did not determine the offices he might hold later.

"Fubara is a young man. So he cannot say his political future is gone. He can't say that. Don't call him minister today. Doesn't mean he will not be minister tomorrow."

The remarks, which News Central shared in an interview excerpt on X, came in response to questions about the governor’s prospects following the political dispute between him and his predecessor. The Whistler also reported the comments.

During the interaction, Wike also rejected claims that Fubara had lost his place in the political arrangement bringing their supporters together ahead of the 2027 elections.

He described the governor as an active participant in the Rainbow Coalition, a grouping of politicians from different parties supporting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election. Wike cited Fubara’s unveiling of the coalition’s candidates in Rivers State as evidence of his involvement.

The minister denied selecting the coalition’s candidates without the governor’s participation. He maintained that Fubara’s role in presenting them reflected his engagement with the arrangement.

Wike explained that the coalition’s common presidential objective allowed members to retain different preferences in other contests. He said supporting Tinubu did not require participants to vote for every All Progressives Congress candidate in legislative elections.

Wike served as Rivers governor before Fubara succeeded him and later joined Tinubu’s administration as FCT minister. Their subsequent disagreement divided political supporters and members of the state House of Assembly.

The dispute escalated in October 2023, with rival legislative camps aligning themselves with the governor and his predecessor. Tinubu intervened at different stages in attempts to resolve the confrontation.

In March 2025, the President declared a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspended Fubara, his deputy and the Assembly for six months. They returned to office in September 2025, although disagreements between the political camps continued.

Subsequent reconciliation efforts brought representatives of both sides into consultations. In October, Fubara hosted Wike, APC governorship candidate Kingsley Chinda and their supporters at his residence for a closed-door meeting.

Wike has also met supporters of the governor to seek their participation in Tinubu’s campaign. At an earlier meeting in Port Harcourt, he urged them to settle outstanding differences and mobilise voters across the state.

He said his objective was to place Rivers among the three states delivering the highest number of votes for Tinubu in 2027, arguing that a stronger electoral showing could help the state secure further federal appointments and development projects.