Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has revealed why he opposed the second-term ambition of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, alleging that powerful external interests wanted to take control of the state’s political structure.
Speaking during his monthly media chat with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, Wike claimed that after Fubara became governor, some individuals who had initially opposed his emergence suddenly became close to him and allegedly encouraged him to sideline Wike’s political camp.
“There are also external forces who want to hijack Rivers State. Should we allow them to hijack Rivers State? There are those who see Rivers State as a cash cow,” Wike said.
The former Rivers governor alleged that some Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) also played roles in the political crisis by giving Fubara what he described as misleading legal advice.
“There are people, even some senior advocates of Nigeria, whom you would never believe could play that kind of role. They started giving the governor wrong advice,” he stated.
According to Wike, those involved believed they could continue benefiting from the state’s resources until his political camp decided to put an end to it.
“This cash cow must end now. You won’t have it again. Take as much as you can, but you have to stop,” he said.
Wike maintained that he personally lost nothing from the prolonged political crisis, insisting that Governor Fubara was the one most affected because his second-term ambition had come to an end.
“At the end of the fight, I have not lost anything. But you have lost because your intention was to go for a second term, and you are not going,” he said.
Despite his opposition to Fubara’s re-election bid, Wike insisted his actions were motivated by concern for the governor.
“Those of us who love him, that’s why we feel so bad. If I don’t love him, would I support him?” he added.
The remarks come just days after Wike declared an end to the political feud between himself and Fubara, urging supporters of both camps to embrace peace, reconciliation and unity for the development of Rivers State.
