(BREAKING) Rivers: I pushed for Fubara’s removal before Tinubu’s intervention – Wike

Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has disclosed that he advocated for the complete removal of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara. However, it was the intervention of President Bola Tinubu, through a state of emergency, that ultimately prevented the governor from being removed from office.

In an interview with the media in Abuja on Friday, Wike expressed his dissatisfaction with the state of emergency declared in Rivers but acknowledged that it was a move that helped protect Fubara’s position.

On March 18, 2025, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending Fubara, his deputy, and the state legislature, while appointing an administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.).

“As a politician, I am not happy about the state of emergency in Rivers State,” Wike said. “I wanted the outright removal of Governor Fubara. The president, by declaring a state of emergency, saved Fubara.”

Wike, who has been deeply involved in the political turmoil in the state, emphasized that Fubara’s situation had become untenable even before the president’s intervention.

“The governor was gone. He was gone, yes… so when people say the president did this, I say they should be praising him,” he remarked.

Wike went further to suggest that every morning, people should be thanking the president for his decisive actions. “Every morning, they should go to the president and ask, ‘Can we wash your feet for saving us?’”

The minister also stated his openness to engaging in peace talks. However, he claimed that Fubara’s advisers continue to discourage the suspended governor from embracing peace.