Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The administration of Governor Siminalayi Fubara is the only credible hope for Rivers State to free itself from the „prebendal, self‑aggrandizing politics” embodied by Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, a former commissioner in the state has declared. Austin Tam‑George, who served as Commissioner for Information and Communications under Wike before resigning, made the statement on Thursday, May 7, 2026, during an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’ programme. His remarks come at a moment when the long‑running feud between Wike and his political godson Fubara has intensified, threatening to destabilise governance and plunge the state into fresh chaos ahead of the 2027 elections.
Tam‑George, who has become one of Wike’s most persistent critics, said Rivers State is burdened by a godfather who has carried personal aggrandizement to a „completely new stratosphere”. He drew a sharp contrast between Wike’s eight‑year tenure and Fubara’s approach to governance. „No civil servant was promoted in Rivers State throughout Wike’s eight‑year administration,” Tam‑George said, adding: „Governor Fubara was quite wise enough to gravitate towards meeting the needs of the people.” The former commissioner insisted that those backing Fubara do so because the governor represents “our best chance to escape the prebendal, self‑aggrandising politics that Wike embodies”. He also pointed to a telling act of political defiance: he had resigned from Wike’s government after only two years because, he said, Wike did not commit to development and had a proven “propensity for violence”.
The political rift between Wike and Fubara has been brewing since shortly after the latter assumed office in 2023. Wike, who hand‑picked Fubara as his successor, has accused the governor of reneging on agreements brokered by President Bola Tinubu. In a monthly media chat on Wednesday, Wike alleged that Fubara promised the President he would not seek re‑election in 2027, only to later break that commitment. “The president intervened in the impeachment palava and said, ‘hold on, let’s have peace.’ And the governor said, ‘I am ready for peace. I’m no longer interested in this, I will not do this’,” Wike recounted, accusing Fubara of “playing smart” after the impeachment threat was withdrawn. He also dismissed claims that Rivers people were begging Fubara to run again, calling such reports “mere political theatrics”.
The proxy battlefield for this leadership struggle has been the Rivers State House of Assembly. Lawmakers loyal to Wike, led by Martin Amaewhule, have launched three failed impeachment attempts against Fubara since 2023, with a fourth fresh plot now reportedly underway. According to New Telegraph, the latest push by the Amaewhule‑led faction comes amid suspicions that many pro‑Wike lawmakers may not return to the Assembly after the 2027 elections, deepening their sense of urgency. The impasse has also paralysed the passage of the state budget. The Supreme Court ruled that Fubara must present the appropriation bill to the Amaewhule‑led faction, but when the governor complied, he was denied access to the Assembly quarters, leaving the state without a budget for most of 2025. Wike has hammered on this point, accusing the governor of chasing a second‑term ambition instead of submitting the budget.
Tam‑George’s intervention is not isolated. In previous interviews, he has called Wike a “pestilence” on the state, describing him as a former governor who has reduced governance to a personality‑driven system. In January 2026, he told Arise Television that Wike’s “propensity for chaos and instability” had made it impossible to govern effectively, and that the FCT minister’s public outbursts would, in any normal system, have led to his dismissal from the federal cabinet. He also accused the Wike‑loyal lawmakers of lacking any mind of their own, saying: “Rivers House of Assembly sees Wike as their boss”.
The deepening crisis has tested President Tinubu’s brokered peace more than once. After imposing a state of emergency and appointing a sole administrator, the President lifted the suspension in June 2025 following a reconciliatory meeting. But the peace has been fragile. Wike has insisted that he is not working with Fubara for the 2027 election, declaring: “We have a political strategy because we have somebody we will fight”. For his part, Fubara has been repositioning himself, reportedly seeking the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and selecting loyalists to run for Assembly seats in direct competition with the pro‑Wike camp.
For Tam‑George, the choice is clear. He has repeatedly urged the APC not to allow the humiliation of a sitting governor who, he says, has performed well despite the obstacles. On Thursday, he framed the struggle not as a personal battle between two men, but as a wider contest for the soul of Rivers State: a choice between a politics of public service and a politics of personal glorification.The former commissioner concluded by describing the Wike‑led years as an era of stagnation, while Fubara’s administration offers a chance to break free. “The question of possible godfathers is not unique to Rivers,” he said, “but what is unique is that we have a godfather who has taken prebendal politics to a completely new stratosphere.” With a fresh impeachment plot looming and the 2027 election cycle already underway, his words have set the stage for the next, possibly decisive, chapter in Rivers State’s troubled politics.
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