Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has expressed support for President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, while stating he would have preferred the outright removal of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Wike made the remarks during a media chat in Abuja on Friday, April 18.
President Tinubu had declared a state of emergency in Rivers last month due to rising political tensions and recent security threats, including pipeline explosions. As part of the move, Governor Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and all members of the State House of Assembly were suspended for six months. Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas was appointed as the state’s sole administrator pending a resolution to the crisis.
Wike, the immediate past governor of Rivers State, commented:
“As a politician, I wasn’t pleased with the emergency declaration—I would have preferred the governor’s removal. But the president did what was necessary to prevent chaos in the state.”
He added, “The matter is now in court, but let the truth be told—the governor was gone. It’s not my job to make things easy for him. Politics isn’t about comfort.”
Wike and Fubara have been in a political standoff since the latter assumed office.
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