By Ado Oyeyemi
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has dismissed claims that Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, was pressured out of the party’s governorship primary, insisting that the governor was duly screened and cleared before voluntarily stepping aside.
Yilwatda, who spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today, said Fubara actively participated in the APC nomination process, including purchasing expression of interest and nomination forms, submitting himself for screening, and successfully clearing the exercise ahead of the primary election.
According to him, the governor later opted out of the race on personal grounds before the commencement of voting.
“He pulled out; he stepped down. It is personal to him. He bought the forms, came for screening, passed the screening, and we were waiting for the primaries before he opted to step down,” Yilwatda said.
The APC chairman also dismissed insinuations linking the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to developments in the party’s Rivers governorship process, stressing that Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had no influence over APC internal affairs.
“Wike is not in our party. He is in PDP,” he stated.
Governor Fubara had earlier announced his withdrawal from the APC governorship race, describing it as a sacrifice made in the interest of peace, stability and unity in Rivers State ahead of the 2027 general elections. He maintained that his decision was not borne out of weakness or coercion.
However, former Rivers State governor and current FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has continued to comment on the unfolding political tensions in the state, mocking Fubara’s withdrawal while backing Kingsley Chinda as a preferred candidate.
Speaking during an inspection of projects in Abuja, Wike also referenced an alleged political understanding brokered by President Bola Tinubu aimed at calming the prolonged crisis in Rivers State, which he said involved the governor stepping down his second-term ambition in exchange for halting impeachment moves in the state assembly.
He further criticised Fubara’s initial move into the contest, arguing that it did not reflect restraint expected in the political negotiations.
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Amid the ongoing political realignments, Wike is also believed to retain significant influence within Rivers politics following the emergence of his ally, Sam Ejekwu, as the PDP governorship candidate, further intensifying speculation over the direction of the state’s 2027 political landscape.
