NYESOM Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has said he was not surprised by the withdrawal of Siminalayi Fubara from the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election in Rivers State.
Fubara had announced his withdrawal from the contest a day before the primary election, stating that he decided to step down out of “conviction and sacrifice for the state to move forward in peace and unity.”
The withdrawal came shortly before the APC conducted its governorship primary election in Rivers State on May 21, where Kingsley Chinda, a member of the House of Representatives and ally of Wike, emerged winner of the exercise.
Speaking on Monday after inspecting infrastructural projects in Abuja, Wike described Chinda as a candidate with both legislative and executive experience required to govern Rivers State.
“I’m not surprised that the governor withdrew,” Wike said.
“In the first place, he ought not to have collected the [APC nomination] form because the agreement was reached that impeachment should be dropped, while he should also not talk about a second tenure.”
Fubara and Wike have remained locked in a prolonged political crisis and power tussle that escalated into attempts to impeach the Rivers governor.
Most of the lawmakers in the Rivers State House of Assembly who backed the impeachment moves against Fubara are widely regarded as political allies of Wike.
The political rift between the two leaders has continued to shape the political atmosphere in Rivers State, with tensions deepening over control of the state’s political structure and the governor’s future ambitions.
Wike had earlier vowed to oppose Fubara’s re-election bid, accusing the governor of breaching the peace agreement both parties reportedly signed at the instance of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
