By George OPARA
Zoe Tamunotonye, National President of Rivers Emancipation Movement (REM), said Governor Siminalayi Fubara has been ambushed regarding his membership in the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He added that Fubara’s political rivals are taking advantage of what made him join the APC.
The President of the Emancipation Movement made these disclosures in an interview with Silverbird N24, a radio station located in Port Harcourt, the state capital, while reflecting on the power tussle involving Fubara and his estranged predecessor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
In his words: “The governor has been ambushed; they are taking advantage of what made him join the APC.”
While analyzing the realignments and power struggles shaping Rivers State politics, Tamunotonye explained that Fubara’s defection to the ruling APC has exposed him to strategic political pressures, with rivals exploiting his current political vulnerabilities.
But Wike has absolved himself of any role in Fubara’s political ordeals within the APC.
In an interview with newsmen in Abuja, Wike said he is not a member of the APC and has no idea what is happening inside the party.
He added: “Governor Fubara did not tell me he had a problem in the APC. I am not a native doctor, neither am I a prophet.”
Further, the fiery minister, while reacting to the controversy surrounding the ongoing APC screening exercise where many of Fubara’s loyalists were reportedly rejected, said: “I only talk about things that concern me directly.”
Fubara Still Believes Wike
Amid the raging political tension and subterranean moves initiated and exploited by Wike, Fubara still believes him and even visited Wike in Abuja ahead of the APC ongoing screening exercise.
A reliable source said: “Fubara went to Abuja and held a meeting with Wike; he came back and said, ‘I’m with my oga.'”
But Fubara’s political beliefs, decisions and reconciliation efforts with his estranged godfather, Wike, cannot be substantiated with the present situation on the ground challenging his second term bid.
Spear News learnt the repeated meetings and settlements between the governor and Wike have even created confusion and doubts among Fubara’s supporters, who initially believed the governor was charting an independent political direction in Rivers State.
Yet, while reflecting on the complex nature of Nigerian politics, many analysts said alliances, personal relationships and negotiations shape political outcomes more than institutional processes and public expectations.
President Tinubu’s Involvement to Save Wike
Tamunotonye noted that the crisis in Rivers State has gradually shifted from ordinary political disagreement to a broader contest for influence and control within the state’s political structure, especially following the governor’s movement to the All Progressives Congress.
But fresh details have emerged on how President Bola Ahmed Tinubu allegedly intervened to save the Wike loyalists from political exclusion.
During the APC ongoing screening exercise, Spear News gathered that Wike was palpably jittery over his political future as it dawned on him after the apex court released the certified true copy of its judgment on the protracted PDP legal fight.
Insider sources said the pressure from Wike’s loyalists left him with no option other than to seek urgent intervention from Tinubu.
It was revealed that Wike first approached the APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, who headed the screening committee, requesting that his loyalists be admitted into the exercise despite earlier party directives.
The APC chairman reportedly told Wike that only President Tinubu, as leader of the party, could authorize such an exception.
Wike, it was gathered, made several attempts to reach the president by phone without success, prompting him to proceed to the Presidential Villa in Abuja, but security officials at the presidential lodge disallowed him, making him sleep at the presidential lodge visitor’s apartment.
When he eventually met Tinubu the next morning, Spear News gathered that Wike secured a waiver and instantly bought the nomination and expression of interest forms for his PDP loyalists, who participated and were allegedly cleared for the governorship, House of Assembly and National Assembly primaries in Rivers State.
Among those said to have been cleared for primaries are Kingsley Chinda, Kelly George, and Tonye Cole, who are seeking to challenge Governor Fubara.
Rivers APC Chapter’s Reaction
The Rivers State All Progressives Congress Publicity Secretary, Chibuike Ikenga, while reacting to the growing tension amid the screening exercise, said the state APC chapter cannot verify if Governor Siminalayi Fubara was cleared, which further deepens the broader complexity of the evolving power dynamics in the state.
Grassroots Political Feedback
Given the grassroots political feedback, Tamunotonye asserted that the emerging circumstances against Fubara have reflected a broader pattern of elite political competition, where key actors position themselves across party lines to influence outcomes and control structures.
He therefore referenced the earlier political foundation of the governor in the Peoples Democratic Party, arguing that leaving that structure weakened his original support base and created room for political exploitation. He noted that the ongoing crisis in the state is not just about individual ambition but about a deeper struggle for political dominance between entrenched interests within the state’s political system.
Other sources told Spear News that unless there is genuine restructuring of political engagement and a return to people-driven democracy, the ongoing political uncertainties can affect governance, weaken public confidence and deepen instability ahead of the 2027 elections.
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