Mixed reactions have continued to trail political developments in Rivers State, following the withdrawal of key aspirants from the governorship race.

Some supporters of Governor Siminalayi Fubara have expressed disappointment over his decision to withdraw from the contest, questioning why he encouraged loyalists to align with him despite what they described as his inability to confront the political influence of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

Others, particularly supporters of Wike, were seen celebrating the development, praising the minister’s political strength, insisting that “no one can reap where he did not sow.”

In a related development, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) described Fubara’s withdrawal from the APC governorship primaries as a disappointing act of political cowardice, a surrender to intimidation, and a subtle endorsement of the allegedly entrenched godfatherism allegedly being orchestrated in Rivers State by Wike.

In viral videos circulating online, some aggrieved supporters of Fubara alleged that they had been abandoned and left without hope amid the unfolding political crisis.

The mood across Rivers State yesterday was largely subdued. Fubara, alongside Tonye Cole and Wike’s ally, George Kelly, had, in separate statements, announced their withdrawal from the governorship race.

Meanwhile, the Rivers State chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) said the crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), particularly in Rivers State, reflects growing dissatisfaction among Nigerians.

Reacting to the wave of withdrawals from the APC governorship primaries, the Rivers State Chairman of the ADC, Chukwudi Dimkpa, described the situation as an internal affair of the APC.

He, however, noted that the development underscored “the growing dissatisfaction, uncertainty and instability within the ruling political structure, in Rivers State and across the country.”

HURIWA said Fubara’s explanation that he withdrew in the interest of peace and unity cannot erase the obvious political reality that Rivers State has gradually become a battleground where democratic freedoms are allegedly being suppressed and where elected officials are compelled to operate in fear, under coercion, and amid political intimidation.

The rights group stated that if the governor truly believed in the mandate freely given to him by Rivers people, he should have courageously subjected himself to the democratic process instead of withdrawing at the last minute and openly pledging support to a political arrangement many Rivers people already suspect has been predetermined by forces loyal to Wike.

According to HURIWA, the withdrawal confirms growing fears that the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) structures in Rivers State are under the overwhelming political influence of a single individual. The group added that this means whoever eventually emerges as a candidate from either platform may simply end up functioning as a political mole or surrogate loyal to Wike rather than to Rivers’ people.