By George OPARA
The members of the Rainbow Coalition, a political bloc made up of politicians loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Barr. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike are divided by the touted choice of possible challenger of the incumbent State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara on his reelection bid come 2027 general elections.
At the centre of the disagreement are members from the Ijaw Rivers nationalities, they do not agree on the alleged Wike’s choice of an Ikwerre man presently serving as lawmaker in the House of Representatives to be Fubara’s possible replacement.
Spear News gathered that the shared political goal for belonging to the coalition, particularly those members drawn from the Ijaw Rivers nationality was the hope that the anti-Fubara re-election movement would lay the groundwork for another Ijaw man to replace him, balance continuity, stability and power sharing, not definitely for another Ikwerre man to takeover state power just after Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi and Barr. Nyesom Wike who are prominent national political actors from Rivers Ikwerre nationality had alternately and consecutively served the state successfully for 16 years as governors.
Discrete findings showed that this existing conflict of interest has pitted the Ijaw against the Ikwerre Rainbow coalition members who now keep a sharp blade at the fabric of the coalition unity and vision as founded by Wike, the political overlord.
The main aim of the Rainbow Coalition was to ensure Fubara’s ouster on his reelection bid but as tension mount against Wike, the hunter may become the hunted if he insists on the controversial direction of his alleged interest.
Reliable Sources told Spear News under a condition of anonymity, “The Rainbow Coalition, from the beginning, was all about replacing Fubara with another Ijaw politician.
“That’s one of the reasons why prominent Rivers Ijaw also supported the coalition.
“It was not about an Ikwerre politician taking over from Fubara, who has not committed any offence.
“It will amount to nothing other than political suicide for an Ikwerre to return as governor after the combined 16 years of Amaechi and Wike.
“Rivers State does not belong to a particular ethnic nationality.”
However, the Fubara’s reelection bid being discussed in the strictest political cycle has been bolstered, members of the exigent coalition are now considering options that can organically shift the 2027 state power dynamics.
Another twist in favour of Fubara is the reelection bid of most lawmakers in the Rivers State House of Assembly and their counterparts in the National Assembly. Presently, the ambitious Lawmakers are scheming to have the ruling APC reelection tickets with the backing of Fubara.
Unknown to most lawmakers, Fubara became a clearing house, sequel to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s surprised decision to turn down the request by members of the party at the National Assembly to cede to them automatic reelection tickets.
Tinubu, who rejected their request reportedly stated that it would weaken party structure and internal democracy, declaring that governors, as leaders of party machinery in their respective states, must be in charge of the selection processes of candidates.
Now, the majority of the proWike lawmakers, who had defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are planning a comeback strategy to the PDP, hitherto, under the control of Wike.
Apart from a few lawmakers loyal to Fubara, the others are Wike’s henchmen who are steadfast in their intrigues to wrest power from Fubara in 2027.
But recently the state chairman of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Chukwudi Dimkpa, and ally of Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, has said Wike, contrary to claims, does not have the sole power to decide who takes over from Fubara, underscoring that only the voters could exercise such power.
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