Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A delegation of prominent All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders and elders in Rivers State has purchased the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms for Governor Siminalayi Fubara to contest the 2027 governorship election, directly challenging the perceived hold of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on the state’s political machinery. The delegation, led by House of Representatives member Hon. Awaji‑Inombek Abiante (Andoni/Opobo‑Nkoro Federal Constituency), announced the move on Thursday, May 1, 2026, in Abuja. The stakeholders insisted that the decision was a spontaneous response to the “overwhelming will” of Rivers people who desire continuity in governance. “This is not about how deep your pocket is; it’s about what the people feel,” Abiante told journalists. “The people of Rivers State have made their position clear — they want continuity.”
The purchase of the forms, which cost an undisclosed amount, was funded by small contributions from supporters across the state, according to the lawmaker. He described it as a “people‑powered” movement rooted in established democratic culture, pointing to past instances where political allies procured nomination forms for President Bola Tinubu. Abiante stressed that Governor Fubara neither requested nor was aware of the gesture. “He did not send us. This is the voice of the people speaking through their leaders,” he said, adding that the funds for the forms were raised from ordinary citizens, not from the governor or any political financier. “He cannot turn his back on the people. This is a collective decision by Rivers people.” The stakeholders argued that the move reflects widespread satisfaction with Fubara’s performance, citing infrastructure projects such as the ongoing Trans‑Kalabari Road, improved access to riverine communities, and the rehabilitation of the State Secretariat. “In places like Andoni, access was a long‑standing challenge; within months that narrative changed,” Abiante noted.
The development is the latest flashpoint in the protracted power struggle between Governor Fubara and his estranged political godfather, Nyesom Wike, who has publicly dismissed Fubara’s chances of re‑election. Wike has repeatedly stated that Fubara’s December 2025 defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC came “too late” and without any political structure. He has also suggested that he could back a different candidate, with Hon. Kingsley Chinda, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, widely speculated to be his preferred successor. Speaking after the forms were purchased, Abiante dismissed the notion that any single individual could determine who governs Rivers State. “It is not about pronouncement by an individual. Democracy is rooted in the collective will of the people,” he said. The delegation underscored that the governor has the constitutional right to seek a second term and that the electorate, not political godfathers, will decide the outcome.
The political atmosphere in Rivers has been tense since Fubara’s defection to the APC, a move that deepened his rift with Wike, who remains a PDP member but has vowed to support President Tinubu’s re‑election. Wike, who presided over a “Rainbow Coalition” of APC and PDP lawmakers in the state, has insisted that Fubara is not the leader of the APC in Rivers. However, the National Chairman of the APC, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, declared on Friday, May 1, that Fubara “is the leader of the APC in Rivers State,” while cautioning that he must still win the party’s primaries to secure the ticket. Yilwatda also made it clear that the party would not discuss Rivers affairs with Wike because “he is not a member of our party.” His declaration adds institutional weight to Fubara’s claim of leadership within the APC, but the battle for the soul of the party in Rivers is far from settled. Wike’s allies still control a significant section of the state’s political structure, and the minister has not hidden his determination to “not repeat the mistake of 2023”, a phrase widely interpreted as his resolve to prevent Fubara from securing a second term.
The purchase of the forms has drawn a conspicuous silence from Wike’s camp. Daily Trust reported “uneasy calm among supporters of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory” following the announcement. The delegation that procured the forms included prominent figures such as the Rivers Commissioner for Education, Hon. Tamunosisi Gogo Jaja, and members of the Rivers Elders Forum. No immediate reaction was issued by Wike’s office or his loyalists, although political observers expect a counter‑move in the coming days.
Governor Fubara has not yet formally declared his intention to run for re‑election, though the purchase of the forms effectively launches his second‑term bid. The formal presentation of the nomination forms to the governor is scheduled for Friday, May 1, at a ceremony in Port Harcourt. Should Fubara accept the forms, he will be expected to contest the APC governorship primary, which is tentatively set for May 23, 2026, under the Independent National Electoral Commission’s timetable.
Political analysts say the open procurement of the forms by stakeholders is a calculated move to box the governor into a public commitment to run, thereby neutralising any backroom manoeuvres to impose another candidate. It is also seen as a direct challenge to Wike’s claim of control over the state’s political narrative. “It tells Wike that he cannot single‑handedly decide the leadership of Rivers State,” a political commentator in Port Harcourt told this reporter. The confrontation is expected to intensify as the APC primaries draw nearer, with Wike likely to deploy his loyalists within the party structure to field a challenger. The question now is whether Governor Fubara can convert this early show of grassroots support into a decisive victory at the polls. For the moment, the battle lines for Rivers State’s most consequential political contest in a decade have been drawn.
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