• I will not contest against Tinubu in 2027 – Wike

Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has described his successor in Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, as his “boy,” amid the political rift between the two.

Wike, who is the former governor of Rivers State, said that though the President, Bola Tinubu, had sued for peace, he was not opposed to the move.

“That boy is my boy, my son. How can I fight a battle with him? Those I fight are people who want to steal what they did not work for.

“The President called me to make peace; I said, ‘Boss, how will you tell me to make peace and I won’t?’” he said in an interview with the BBC Pidgin.

The disagreement between Wike and Fubara led to a political crisis in the state.

Consequently, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers, suspending Fubara, his deputy, and the House of Assembly.

He also appointed a retired naval chief, Ibok-Ete Ibas, as the sole administrator to pilot the affairs of the state for the first six months.

The president’s decision led to protests and counter-protests by different groups in the state.

Worried by Tinubu’s decision, 11 Peoples Democratic Party governors filed a suit at the Supreme Court to challenge his action.

But the National Assembly urged the court to dismiss the suit filed by the PDP governors challenging the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, contending that the suit was procedurally flawed and lacked merit.

It further argued that the court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the suit and should award N1 billion in costs against the plaintiffs for filing what it termed a frivolous and speculative suit.

However, Fubara, on May 11, said he was not desperate to return to office.

Speaking at the service of songs held in honour of the late elder statesman, Edwin Clark, in Port Harcourt, the state capital, he said, “Do you even know if I want to go back there? My spirit has already left there,” he said.

He further warned that some of the actions taken by some of his supporters, though well-intended, had only worsened the situation.

I will not contest against Tinubu in 2027 – Wike

Nyesom Wike, has said that he will not contest the 2027 presidential election against President Bola Tinubu.

He, however, said he remains a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“I will not contest again. I cannot contest against someone I’m working with. Who would win, if not him?” he said in an interview with BBC Pidgin.

Wike, who is a former governor of Rivers State, had contested the ticket of the PDP in a bid to emerge as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2023 election, but lost to a former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.

The minister was also irked by the party’s decision not to zone its presidential ticket to the South, a development that snowballed into an internal crisis that affected the party’s performance in the election.

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