Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has revealed he pushed for the outright removal of Rivers State Governor, Sim Fubara, amid the state’s deepening political crisis — but credited President Bola Tinubu for averting disaster.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, Wike said Tinubu’s decision to suspend Fubara and declare a six-month state of emergency in Rivers State “saved the state from calamity.”
“As a politician, I’m not happy because I wanted the outright removal of the governor,” Wike said. “But for the interest of the state, the president did the right thing.”
Wike didn’t mince words, claiming Fubara was “gone” before the president stepped in. “People should be worshipping Mr. President every morning for saving them,” he added.
He also pointed to Supreme Court rulings to justify the crisis, noting that funds should not be allocated to undemocratically elected local governments and stressing the importance of appropriation.
“All institutions would have shut down,” Wike warned. “It’s not in my place to make the governor comfortable — that’s why there’s power play.”
Wike said the situation was so dire he had to travel to London to calm disgruntled lawmakers, insisting Tinubu’s intervention prevented chaos.
“Mr. President came in and saved the people of Rivers from anarchy. People must say the truth.”
