THE Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has warned that his political career would suffer irreparable damage if Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, secures a second term in office in 2027, declaring that he would not allow what he described as a past political mistake to be repeated.
News Point Nigeria reports that Wike made the remark on Saturday while addressing political stakeholders during a meeting in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State, where he spoke bluntly about the state’s political future and his stance on the next governorship election.
According to the former Rivers governor, a firm decision had already been taken by his political camp regarding the 2027 elections, particularly as it concerns support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the governorship contest in Rivers State.
“We have made a decision as far as Tinubu is concerned. The other one — no way,” Wike said.
“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,” he added.
He stressed that the decision was final, telling stakeholders, “So everybody should know we have made a decision.”
Wike’s comments come amid a deepening rift between him and Governor Fubara, which escalated following the governor’s defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) last month.
The FCT minister has since intensified his criticism of Fubara, accusing him of breaching the terms of a peace agreement reached prior to the lifting of the state of emergency in Rivers, which paved the way for the governor’s return to office.
Earlier in the week, Wike said what he described as a “leadership mistake” made in Rivers State would be corrected in 2027, hinting that he would eventually reveal the full 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 leadership decisions must reflect the will of the people rather than personal ambitions.
At a separate stakeholders’ meeting on Friday in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, Wike dismissed suggestions that Governor Fubara’s backing of President Tinubu would automatically guarantee his re-election.
“If you played well with the first one and succeeded, do you think you can succeed with the second one? There cannot be two markets in one day,” Wike said, in what many interpreted as a veiled reference to past political agreements in the state.
He warned against assurances being given to the governor that support for Tinubu alone would secure another term.
“So, whoever is assuring you that everything will be fine once you sign on your mandate, you are mistaken,” he cautioned.
“All of us have decided to work for Bola Ahmed Tinubu. There is no discussion about that,” Wike added.
The former governor said political forces loyal to him were already mobilising to ensure that previous miscalculations were not repeated.
“Of course, you know we won’t make the mistake we made last time. We are here to correct the mistake. We will do all we can to ensure that we give Tinubu all the total support that is required,” he said.
Wike also questioned Fubara’s leadership style, alleging that the governor lacked the ability to build effective political relationships across key levels of governance.
“Someone who cannot relate with the local government chairmen, state assembly members and national assembly members — what kind of leadership do you want to provide?” he asked.
Reacting to Governor Fubara’s New Year remarks in which he reportedly dismissed Wike’s statements as “noise,” the FCT minister insisted that the governor owed his emergence largely to his political backing.
“I made him governor even when he was not popular among the people,” Wike declared.