Political loyalty in Rivers State just did a full 180. A key Ijaw group, led by former senator George Sekibo, publicly switched its support from Governor Sim Fubara to the Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike during a meeting in Okrika Local Government Area. Sekibo called Fubara ungrateful for betraying Wike, the man who secured his governorship. He declared the Ijaw people were abandoning the governor to follow Wike's lead, promising to obey his directives as gratitude for past support.
Okrika's local chairman, Akuro Tobin, backed this up, listing the appointed and elected positions Wike helped people from the area secure. Wike himself addressed the crowd, telling them it was time to let his political machine operate without interference and to only involve him if problems arose. He framed this as a new, no-nonsense era.
This move follows Wike's accusation that Fubara broke a peace deal brokered by President Bola Tinubu. Just a day before the Okrika event, Wike had dismissed Fubara's support for Tinubu as a hollow, last-minute gesture. He pointed out his own longer-standing loyalty to the president, suggesting the governor's political maneuvering would not save him in the next election.
Okrika's local chairman, Akuro Tobin, backed this up, listing the appointed and elected positions Wike helped people from the area secure. Wike himself addressed the crowd, telling them it was time to let his political machine operate without interference and to only involve him if problems arose. He framed this as a new, no-nonsense era.
This move follows Wike's accusation that Fubara broke a peace deal brokered by President Bola Tinubu. Just a day before the Okrika event, Wike had dismissed Fubara's support for Tinubu as a hollow, last-minute gesture. He pointed out his own longer-standing loyalty to the president, suggesting the governor's political maneuvering would not save him in the next election.
