Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has asked his supporters to stop addressing him as their political leader, declaring Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike as the common leader of political stakeholders in the state.
Fubara made the declaration on Tuesday in Port Harcourt during the unveiling of candidates of the Rainbow Coalition, marking another significant development in the reconciliation between the governor and his predecessor after years of political confrontation.
“Those that called me my leader during the crises, please stop calling me my leader, we have a common leader now which is His Excellency Chief Nyesom Wike,” Fubara said.
The statement represents a striking shift in the political relationship between the two men, whose disagreement plunged Rivers State into a prolonged crisis that divided the state’s political leadership and the House of Assembly.
The dispute began in October 2023, shortly after Fubara assumed office, and escalated into a confrontation involving lawmakers aligned with Wike, impeachment proceedings against the governor and a division among political supporters across the state.
The crisis culminated in March 2025 when President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, resulting in the suspension of Fubara, his deputy and members of the state legislature. The emergency rule ended in September 2025, allowing the elected officials to return to office.
Despite their return, political differences and competing interests continued to shape the state’s political landscape, with reconciliation efforts subsequently initiated to bring the rival camps together.
Fubara and Wike have held a series of meetings in recent months as part of efforts to rebuild their relationship and establish a common political platform ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In July 2026, Fubara publicly declared his support for the Wike-led Rainbow Coalition and endorsed President Tinubu’s re-election bid, as well as Kingsley Chinda as the coalition-backed candidate for the Rivers State governorship election.
The latest declaration at the unveiling of the coalition’s candidates further reinforces the governor’s public alignment with Wike and the emerging political arrangement in Rivers State.
The event reportedly attracted political stakeholders from several parties, including the All Progressives Congress, Peoples Democratic Party, Labour Party, Action Alliance, All Progressives Grand Alliance and Allied Peoples Movement.
The coalition’s cross-party composition reflects efforts by its organisers to bring politicians from different political backgrounds under a common platform ahead of the next general elections.
Wike, a former governor of Rivers State, remains an influential political figure in the state and a key player in the coalition’s strategy. His relationship with Fubara had previously been at the centre of the political turmoil that disrupted governance and divided political loyalties.
The governor’s latest remarks are likely to attract attention among supporters who stood by him during the prolonged dispute, particularly those who viewed him as an independent political leader during the confrontation.
While the renewed alliance signals a move towards political reconciliation, it also raises questions about the future balance of influence between the governor and his predecessor, as well as the role Fubara’s original support base will play within the coalition.
For the Rainbow Coalition, the immediate challenge will be to translate the public show of unity into a coordinated political structure capable of mobilising support across Rivers State ahead of the 2027 elections.
The unfolding realignment also underscores how the political crisis that once placed Fubara and Wike on opposing sides has evolved into an alliance in which the governor is now publicly acknowledging his predecessor as the state’s common political leader.
