Wike’s loyalists to step down as Tinubu backs Fubara for stability

The intricate chess game for the Rivers State Government House appears to be reaching a definitive, and for some, unexpected, endgame.

Insiders close to the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Presidency have revealed to The Neighbourhood Newspaper that the array of aspirants loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who recently picked up gubernatorial forms, are preparing to honourably step down for the incumbent, Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

The scripted charade: Forms for show, Fubara for shore

While the political atmosphere in Rivers has been charged with the sight of Wike’s henchmen, including those still maintaining a technical presence in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, flocking to purchase APC nomination forms, and getting “cleared”, sources suggest this was a calculated “venting” exercise.

The APC leadership had long ago reached a consensus: returning governors get the right of first refusal. Despite the public friction, Governor Fubara is being treated as the de facto anchor for the party’s 2027 ambitions in the state.

“The instruction was simple,” an anonymous party chieftain revealed. “Allow everyone to buy the forms to keep the peace and let the Minister [Wike] feel the process is open. But the destination was always Fubara. You don’t change a winning horse in the middle of a South-South storm.”

Tinubu’s strategic math: Why Fubara is “more profitable”

The shift in momentum is reportedly driven by a cold, hard assessment from President Bola Tinubu’s inner circle. While Wike’s role in the 2023 victory remains legendary, the President’s strategists are now looking toward 2027 with a different lens.

The consensus among the President’s henchmen and Abuja hawks who have his ears, is that doing political business directly with Fubara offers more long-term stability than the high-octane, often volatile patronage required to sustain Wike’s structure.

The logic is twofold:

Administrative continuity: Displacing a sitting governor creates internal friction that the APC cannot afford in a battleground state.

The profit margin: Fubara’s growing grassroots appeal and control over the state’s apparatus make him a more profitable partner for the Presidency’s 2027 re-election bid compared to the cost of maintaining a parallel power structure.

The NDC threat and the South-South stronghold

President Tinubu is reportedly leaving nothing to chance. With the Nigerian Democratic Congress, NDC, expected to put up a formidable showing across the Niger Delta states, Rivers State has been flagged as “precarious.”

The President views Rivers as the jewel of the South-South. Losing the state to an opposition surge or internal APC sabotage is not an option. By consolidating power behind Fubara, Tinubu aims to present a united front that can withstand the NDC’s predicted onslaught.

The path to 2027

As the deadline for the primary approaches, the political world watches to see how Wike will navigate this pivot. While his loyalists may have the forms in hand, the signature that matters seems to have already been written in the presidency: Fubara remains the man for the job.

For now, the message from Abuja is clear: Stability over Sentiment.

The gears of the “Jagaban” political machine are turning, and they are turning in favour of the man currently occupying the Brick House.