PRESIDENT TINUBU ENDORSES GOVERNOR FUBARA AS APC LEADER IN RIVERS STATE, ISSUES WARNING ON IMPEACHMENT

In a significant intervention, President Bola Tinubu has formally endorsed Governor Siminalayi Fubara as the recognized leader of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State. This declaration directly counters perceptions that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, controls the party’s structure in the state. The President’s Special Adviser on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, made the clarification during an interview on Channels Television’s Hard Copy.

Bwala stated that the Presidency is adhering to the rulebook, aligning with APC National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda’s position that sitting governors are the natural leaders of the party in their states. “In Rivers State, Governor Fubara is the leader of the APC. Wike is not a member of the APC and therefore cannot speak for the party,” Bwala stated. He further emphasized that while Wike remains a heavyweight within the Peoples Democratic Party, the APC’s leadership in Rivers “rests solely with Governor Fubara.”

The Presidency also addressed Wike’s influence within the administration, suggesting the President’s patience has limits. Bwala noted that the FCT Minister has already been “adequately compensated” for his role in the general election and warned that “once boundaries are crossed, consequences follow.”

On the ongoing impeachment pressure against Governor Fubara from the State House of Assembly, the Presidency issued a stern reminder on the rule of law. Bwala pointed to existing judicial interventions that have stalled the process. “There are court orders stopping the impeachment. Nobody should stop Governor Fubara from governing Rivers State,” Bwala added.

The Rivers State chapter of the APC has welcomed the President’s intervention, seeing it as a validation of the governor’s authority. To stabilize the party, the state chapter is calling for fresh party congresses at the ward, local government, and state levels, and has requested Governor Fubara to convene a stakeholder meeting to unite various party factions.