The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has dismissed claims that Governor Siminalayi Fubara was forced out of the party’s governorship primary in Rivers State.
News reports that Fubara is the only APC governor who withdrew from the primaries despite being eligible for a second term
Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Yilwatda said Fubara fully participated in the APC nomination process by purchasing the party’s expression of interest and nomination forms, appearing before the screening committee and securing clearance ahead of the primary election.
According to him, the Rivers governor later chose to withdraw from the contest on personal grounds before the commencement of the primary.
“He pulled out; he stepped down. It is personal to him. He bought the forms, came for screening, passed the screening, and we were waiting for the primaries before he opted to step down”, Yilwatda said.
The APC chairman also rejected suggestions that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, influenced developments surrounding the Rivers governorship contest.
Yilwatda maintained that Wike was not a member of the ruling party and therefore could not have dictated its internal processes.
“Wike is not in our party. He is in PDP,” he stated.
Fubara had earlier announced his withdrawal from the APC governorship race.
He described the decision as a sacrifice made in the interest of peace, stability and unity in Rivers State ahead of the 2027 election.
The governor said his decision should not be interpreted as an act of weakness or surrender.
He insisted that he remained committed to completing his tenure and serving the people of the state.
“Let it be clearly understood that I stepped aside from participating in the upcoming Rivers State governorship election not out of weakness, fear, or surrender, but out of conviction and sacrifice so that Rivers State may move forward in peace and unity,” Fubara had said.
Meanwhile, Wike on Monday publicly weighed in on the growing political tensions in Rivers State.
He openly mocking Fubara’s withdrawal from the APC contest while endorsing Kingsley Chinda as the party’s governorship candidate.
The former Rivers governor spoke while inspecting ongoing infrastructure projects in Abuja, where he also disclosed details of an alleged political understanding facilitated by Bola Tinubu to ease the prolonged crisis in Rivers State.
According to Wike, the arrangement involved Fubara abandoning his second-term ambition in exchange for the suspension of impeachment moves against him by the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“By collecting the form first, he didn’t show signs of gentlemanship. He didn’t show that sign, and that was not expected,” Wike said.
“We thought that Mr President had been intervening severally and pleading with the legislature not to continue with impeachment.”
Wike maintained his dominance of Rivers politics following the emergence of Sam Ejekwu, another of his ally, as the PDP gubernatorial candidate.
Under his rainbow collation said to be working for Tinubu, Wike is in a very key position to determine where the pendulum swings in Rivers post 2027 elections.
About the Author
