The national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, says the political face-off between Nyesom Wike and Siminalayi Fubara falls outside the party’s responsibility.
Yilwatda made the clarification on Tuesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
He explained that the disagreement does not concern the APC leadership since Wike is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while Fubara belongs to the APC.
“When it comes to the issue between Wike and Fubara, it’s not within my purview as the national chairman of APC. Wike is in PDP, Fubara is in APC,” he said.
The APC chairman noted that the impeachment issue in Rivers state strictly involves APC members in the house of assembly.
“The issue of impeachment is not about Wike now; it concerns APC house of assembly members. That is something I can discuss. It’s an internal matter, and we have mechanisms within APC to resolve such issues,” he added.
Yilwatda stressed that internal party disputes should be addressed quietly and with a sense of responsibility.
“We don’t put these discussions in the public. Issues can be resolved through in-house activities that require maturity to address,” he said.
When asked if Wike poses a challenge to the ruling party, Yilwatda dismissed the notion, saying “never, never”.
In December 2025, the FCT minister began campaigning against Fubara’s re-election, accusing the governor of breaching an agreement they both signed before President Bola Tinubu lifted the emergency rule in Rivers state.
Lawmakers of the Rivers state house of assembly loyal to Wike also accused Fubara of spending state funds without legislative approval.
The legislators later commenced impeachment proceedings against Fubara and Ngozi Odu, the deputy governor, citing allegations of “gross misconduct”.
However, on January 23, a Rivers high court adjourned the matter indefinitely, ruling that the court of appeal must first resolve pending appeals filed by the speaker and other lawmakers — a decision that effectively stalled the impeachment process.