The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has voiced his displeasure over the president’s decision to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State.
During a media briefing in Abuja on Friday, Wike clarified that such a declaration was not the outcome he had hoped for amid the political turmoil in the state.
I’m not in support of the emergency rule, said Wike, the former governor of Rivers.
President Bola Tinubu had declared the emergency last month due to ongoing political instability and rising security threats, including recent pipeline blasts.
As part of the measures, Tinubu suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and the entire state assembly for six months, citing critical security concerns. He also appointed Vice Admiral Ibas as the interim administrator to manage state affairs until the crisis is resolved—a decision that has stirred national debate.
Wike, speaking at the briefing, said he would have preferred Fubara’s removal rather than an emergency declaration. As a politician, I would have preferred the governor’s outright removal. But for the state’s stability, the president took the necessary action to avoid chaos, he said.
He added that the matter is already in court but insisted on transparency. The governor was out. It’s not my role to make things easier for him. Politics isn’t about comfort—that’s why there’s a power structure.
Wike and Governor Fubara have been locked in a power struggle since Fubara assumed office, primarily over control of political and administrative resources in the state.
This tension spilled into the state assembly, where 27 lawmakers defected to the APC, resulting in parallel legislative factions and competing speakers.
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