Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said he was not surprised by the decision of Governor Siminalayi Fubara to withdraw from the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship primary election in Rivers State.
Fubara had announced his withdrawal from the race a day before the primary election, stating that the decision was taken out of “conviction and sacrifice for the state to move forward in peace and unity.”
The development followed the emergence of Kingsley Chinda, an ally of Wike, as the winner of the Rivers APC governorship primary conducted on May 21.
Speaking on Monday during an inspection of infrastructure projects in Abuja, Wike described Chinda as a competent candidate with the experience required to govern Rivers State, citing his background in both legislative and executive matters.
Reacting to Fubara’s withdrawal, the FCT minister said the governor should not have obtained the APC nomination form in the first place, insisting that there had been an agreement that impeachment moves against him would be dropped while he would also abandon any second-term ambition.
“I’m not surprised that the governor withdrew,” Wike said.
“In the first place, he ought not to have collected the form because the agreement was reached that impeachment should be dropped, while he should also not talk about a second tenure,” he added.
The political crisis between Wike and Fubara has continued for several months, with both camps engaged in a prolonged power struggle that triggered impeachment attempts against the Rivers governor by some lawmakers loyal to the former governor.
Wike had earlier vowed to oppose Fubara’s re-election bid, accusing the governor of violating a peace agreement reportedly brokered following the intervention of President Bola Tinubu.
