Yilwatda Clarifies APC’s Position on Rivers, Confirms Fubara as the Party’s Leader

*I’ll be buried politically if Fubara wins second term, says Wike

Chuks Okocha and Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

In line with the practice of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the National Chairman of the party, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has declared Governor Siminalayi Fubara as the leader of the party in Rivers State.Yilwatda also pledged to support Fubara’s second-term bid if he wins the party’s primaries.

The APC chairman’s confirmation came as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, declared that his political career will suffer irreparable damage if Fubara secures a second term in office.Speaking in a television interview over the weekend, Yilwatda explained that it is the APC’s practice to recognise serving governors as party leaders in their respective states.He, however, emphasised that Governor Fubara must work with other stakeholders to ensure inclusion and effective coordination within the party.

This comes amid the renewed political tension between Governor Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over a leadership position in the state.In December, after defecting to the APC, Fubara declared himself the party’s leader in the state after being presented with the party card bearing 001.

But Wike had dismissed the governor’s stance, saying the governor’s 001 status applies to only his ward and not the state.However, Yilwatda has confirmed the governor as the ruling party’s leader in the state. “Governor Fubara is the leader of the APC in Rivers State, but he would need to coordinate with every other person in the state,” Yilwatda said.

In all states, the state governors lead the parties in their respective states. In APC, we give them that privilege, but we also ask the governors to ensure inclusion — to coordinate and carry everyone along.”Responding to questions of whether the party would support Fubara if he wants to run for a second term in office, the APC national chairman drew parallels with similar instances in other states, citing the example of Ekiti State, where the sitting governor had to go through the party’s primary process like any other aspirant before emerging as the flagbearer.

“We did primaries in Ekiti State, and the governor contested with others before he emerged as the APC candidate. The same rule applies to every state — even Governor Fubara will have to go through the normal process if he seeks the ticket,” he noted.Yilwatda also made it clear that discussions concerning the party’s affairs in Rivers State will be held with Governor Fubara, not Wike, who remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“If we are discussing elections, we will not be discussing with Nyesom Wike. He is not a member of our party,” Yilwatda stated.“We will be discussing with Siminalayi Fubara because he is a member of the All Progressives Congress right now.”When asked whether Wike still influences APC politics in Rivers State, the party chairman dismissed the idea, insisting that his focus remains on APC members, not individuals outside the fold.“I think we are overflogging what we don’t need to overflog,” he said.“Wike is in the PDP. Allow me to discuss members of my party, not non-members. I am chairman of the APC, not chairman of all political parties in Nigeria.”

Recall that following his defection to the APC, Governor Fubara declared himself as the ‘001 of APC’ in the state; however, Wike, in a veiled response on Monday, dismissed claims that Governor Fubara has become the leader of the APC in Rivers State, following the governor’s recent defection to the ruling party.“There is nothing like ‘001’ in party politics,” Wike said. “You register in your ward, and your local government is in your ward. Everybody registers in his ward. You could be the first to register, but it does not mean that by becoming governor, you automatically become the leader of the party.”

Meanwhile, the Minister of FCT, Wike, has declared that his political career will suffer irreparable damage if Governor Fubara secures a second term in office.Wike made the remark yesterday while addressing stakeholders at a meeting in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State.According to him, a firm decision had already been taken regarding the 2027 governorship contest.“We have made a decision as far as Tinubu is concerned. The other one — no way. Because if we make another mistake, then we will go and bury ourselves politically. I will not allow myself to be buried. I will not allow that mistake again,” Wike said.He added: “So everybody should know we have made a decision.”

The FCT minister has intensified his criticism of Fubara since the governor defected to the APC last month. Wike accused the governor of violating the terms of a peace agreement reached before the lifting of the emergency rule in the state, which enabled Fubara’s return to office.Earlier in the week, Wike said what he described as a “leadership mistake” in Rivers would be corrected in 2027, promising to disclose details of the agreement that restored Fubara to power.“We will not make the same mistake again at the state level in 2027, but we will talk about it later when the time comes,” he said, adding that leaders should prioritise the will of the people over personal interests.