Rivers Political Crisis: APC, Civil Groups Push Back Against Fayose Over Fubara’s APC Leadership Claim

Former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose has stirred fresh controversy over the political leadership of Rivers State, questioning Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s claim to being “001” on the All Progressives Congress (APC) membership register in his ward.

Speaking during an interview on Arise TV on Tuesday, Fayose likened the Rivers situation to Lagos State, arguing that political leadership does not automatically rest with a sitting governor. He said Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu cannot be regarded as the political leader of Lagos, insisting that such authority belongs to President Bola Tinubu, a former governor of the state.

On the Rivers crisis, Fayose maintained that President Tinubu would not sacrifice the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, for Governor Fubara amid the lingering political tension in the state.

His comments immediately drew sharp reactions from stakeholders in Rivers State, including the embattled factional chairman of the APC, Chief Emeka Beke, and the Coordinator of the Initiative for Transparent Strategy and Good Leadership, Mr Chizy Enyi. Both urged Fayose to focus on sustaining his relationship with Wike and refrain from interfering in Rivers politics.

Meanwhile, the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) faulted Wike’s claim that political parties nationwide were aligning under his leadership in a so-called “rainbow coalition” to support President Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027. IPAC said some parties were instead independently considering giving unconditional support to Governor Fubara’s re-election by not fielding candidates.

The political rift between Wike and his successor, Fubara, escalated last week when 26 out of 32 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly—loyal to Wike—initiated impeachment proceedings against the governor. The move sparked widespread reactions, with groups such as PANDEF, Rivers APC and PDP urging lawmakers to abandon the process.

Addressing recent comments by Vice President Kashim Shettima, who said defecting governors automatically become APC leaders in their states, Fayose noted that the vice president avoided clarifying who leads the party in Lagos, where both Tinubu and Sanwo-Olu hail from.

Fayose cited the impeachment and reinstatement of Lagos Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa as proof of Tinubu’s overriding influence in the state.
“The president that I know hates ingratitude; he controls Lagos from the palms of his hands,” Fayose said, adding that Sanwo-Olu could not credibly claim state party leadership.

He also described the declaration of emergency rule in Rivers as a political lifeline for Fubara.
“The emergency rule was all-winning for Governor Fubara because by now he would have been history,” Fayose said, noting that impeachment would have ended the governor’s political ambitions.

Fayose further recalled Fubara’s December 2025 defection from the PDP to the APC, when the governor publicly declared himself “number one” in the party and pledged total loyalty to President Tinubu.
“Today, I am very happy. I am not just a member of the APC, I am the number one,” Fubara had said at the time.

However, Wike later dismissed the claim, insisting there was no such thing as statewide “001” in APC registration.
“You register in your ward and local government… There’s nothing like 001 in the state,” Wike said, adding that leadership is not determined by executive office alone.

Backing Wike’s position, Fayose argued that Tinubu would not abandon the FCT minister for Fubara.
“The Asiwaju that I know will not get rid of a Wike for a Fubara,” he said, citing Wike’s political relevance and performance in Abuja.

Reacting, Chief Emeka Beke dismissed Fayose’s remarks as baseless, insisting that Fubara remains the APC leader in Rivers by virtue of being governor.
“Fayose is not from Rivers State and he is not a member of the APC,” Beke said.

Mr Chizy Enyi also faulted Fayose, describing his comments as an attempt to protect Wike’s interests.
“Fubara is the governor of Rivers State, hence he is the leader of the party and the state,” Enyi said, urging Fayose to allow peace to reign in Rivers.

Separately, IPAC’s National Publicity Secretary, Egbeola Martins, rejected Wike’s “rainbow coalition” claim as “unfounded and misleading,” stressing that no individual has the mandate to speak for political parties.
“At no time has he been granted the mandate by IPAC or any political party to determine alliances or endorsements for 2027,” Martins said.

IPAC added that any decision by parties to support Governor Fubara would be independent and aimed solely at restoring peace and stability in Rivers State.

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