“I wanted Fubara removed, Tinubu saved him” – Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has disclosed that he advocated for the removal of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, but President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency ultimately spared the governor’s job.

Speaking at a media conference in Abuja on Friday, Wike stated, “As a politician, I am not happy about the state of emergency in Rivers State. I wanted the outright removal of Governor Fubara. The president, by declaring a state of emergency, saved Fubara.”

Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers on March 18, 2025, suspending Fubara, his deputy and the legislature and appointing an administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd).

Wike emphasized that Fubara’s position was already untenable before the president’s intervention. “The governor was gone. He was gone, yes, so when people say the president did this, I say they should be praising him,” he said. “Every morning, they should go to the president and ask, ‘Can we wash your feet for saving us?'”

Wike expressed willingness for peace talks but claimed Fubara’s advisers were discouraging the suspended governor from embracing peace.