• ADC faults minister over remarks on Amaechi’s political relevance
• ‘No political actor will dictate outcome of 2027 Rivers poll’

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said the political crisis in Rivers State denied Governor Siminalayi Fubara the opportunity to seek a second term, blaming what he described as poor advice from political associates and external interests.

Wike made the remarks during the August edition of his monthly media chat, aired live on Channels TV yesterday, while reflecting on his relationship with his estranged political ally.

According to the former Rivers governor, he repeatedly advised Fubara not to abandon the political structure that brought him to power.

“I said, look, don’t derail. I came as governor; I had crisis. When I came as governor, there was nothing. They didn’t even relocate the Government House,” Wike said.

He recounted inheriting an administration with limited resources, saying he had to borrow ceremonial vehicles from a former Ondo State governor, Olusegun Mimiko.

“When I came, I had to borrow vehicles from the former governor of Ondo, Mimiko, these parade vehicles. Nobody kept any vehicle; I didn’t have one vehicle.

“But before I left as governor, I packed out from the Government House one and a half years before. I renovated the Government House. I bought vehicles for the governor, the deputy governor and the governor’s wife. I did that,” he said.

Wike said he expected Fubara to build on the foundation he left behind rather than abandon it. “Somebody had laid a foundation. Look, this is where I stopped. If you continue this way, our dream is to be able to compete with Lagos. What is wrong with that?” he said.

The FCT minister alleged that individuals who had opposed Fubara’s emergence as governor later became his close allies and encouraged him to confront his political benefactors.

However, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Rivers State has criticised the FCT minister over his comments against former Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, as someone with zero political value and a political liability.

The party accused Wike of attempting to convince residents that the 2027 general election is already decided. The party described Wike’s repeated attacks on opposition figures as ironic despite his insistence that they pose no electoral threat, arguing that such actions reflect anxiety rather than confidence.

In a statement issued yesterday by the party’s State Publicity Secretary, Chizy Enyi, the ADC said Wike’s attempt to rewrite political history would not diminish Amaechi’s contributions to governance and national politics.

Meanwhile, a prominent Rivers State elder and former spokesman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Anabs Sara-Igbe, has declared that no single political actor will determine the outcome of the 2027 governorship election in the state.

Sara-Igbe also criticised political godfatherism, arguing that Rivers people have become politically enlightened and are no longer willing to surrender their electoral choices to any individual.

His remarks came as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, yesterday, declared that President Bola Tinubu is the only presidential candidate capable of winning Rivers State in the 2027 general election.

Speaking during his monthly media chat in Abuja, Wike said a broad political coalition comprising members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Labour Party (LP), the Action Alliance (AA) and other political groups had agreed to work together in support of Tinubu’s re-election.