FCT Minister, Nysome Wike Clears the Air on Rivers LG Elections, Says Every Decision Had Governor Fubara’s Input Despite His Absence on Election Day

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has insisted that no decision regarding the recently concluded local government elections in Rivers State was taken without the input of the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara.

Wike made this disclosure on Thursday while speaking as a guest on Politics Today, a political programme aired on Channels Television, where he addressed the controversies trailing the elections held under the emergency rule in the state.

The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), under the leadership of Ibok-Ete Ibas, the sole administrator appointed by President Bola Tinubu to govern Rivers State during the emergency rule, conducted the polls on August 30.

However, Governor Fubara and his loyalists boycotted the exercise, a move that fueled speculation of division and lack of synergy within the state’s leadership.

Reacting to these concerns, Wike disclosed that he personally visited Governor Fubara at his residence in the middle of the night to iron out details about the elections.

“This is what Nigerians should know: the governor wanted to come and see me. I said, ‘No, you’re the governor.’ I drove to the governor’s house by 1 am,” Wike said.

“I, the former governor of Rivers state, drove to the governor’s house at 1 am. I said, ‘Your Excellency, what do we do?’ There’s nothing that was done that the governor wasn’t part of.”

Wike further explained that Fubara’s absence during the elections was not political but due to a family commitment, as the governor had informed him in advance that he would not be in the state on the election day.

“Even before the election, the governor travelled. He told me he will not be around because his son has this engagement,” Wike said.

The FCT minister accused critics of exploiting the Rivers political crisis by spreading false narratives.

“People just sit somewhere and begin to talk about all kinds of things they don’t even know,” he stated.

“All they were expecting is, ‘Oh, they’ve not settled.’ Unfortunately, where people will be collecting money is no longer there.”

The elections, which were largely swept by the All Progressives Congress (APC), saw the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) suffer heavy losses, with Governor Fubara even losing in his own local government area — a result that has further deepened the political debate around Rivers politics.