“I knew he had no choice than retrace his steps,” Wike speaks on Fubara’s return to Rainbow Coalition

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and immediate past governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike has reacted to his successor, Siminalayi Fubara‘s return to the rainbow political family. 

According to him, Fubara has corrected his mistakes by returning to the political family that produced him as governor of the state.

Wike spoke on Tuesday while leading senior officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on an inspection of ongoing road projects in Abuja.

The minister was reacting to Fubara’s declaration of support for the Rainbow Coalition during the inauguration of the Rivers Medical Industries Project in Port Harcourt on July 22.

At the event, the governor also endorsed Kingsley Chinda, an ally of Wike and the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, as his preferred successor.

Responding to the development, Wike said politics should not be viewed through the lens of personal grievances, adding that there was nothing wrong with admitting mistakes and embracing reconciliation.

“I don’t know what you mean by sin. In politics, there is no sin. If someone realises they made a mistake and decides to correct it, there is nothing wrong with that,” Wike said.

“Politics is not a sin. What matters is recognising that you were on the wrong path and making the right decision.”

The FCT minister said he had anticipated Fubara’s return, insisting that the governor had no viable political alternative outside the platform that brought him to power.

“I said during my last media chat that he had no other choice but to return to the same political family that produced him,” he said.

“I have now been informed that he has made that declaration publicly, and we welcome him. Our doors are open. Everyone is welcome for us to work together. There is no better alternative. We will all work together to move the state forward.”

Wike added that Fubara’s return would strengthen political cooperation in Rivers and boost efforts to secure support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

“He has publicly stated that he has returned to where he started, and we receive him with an open mind. There is nothing to hide. We will all work together to ensure that we deliver the votes President Tinubu needs for his re-election,” he said.

Wike and Fubara were embroiled in a prolonged political crisis that polarised the Rivers political landscape and led lawmakers loyal to the FCT minister to initiate impeachment proceedings against the governor before both camps eventually reached a truce.

The reconciliation was followed by Fubara’s decision to withdraw from the APC governorship primary race after initially being screened alongside Chinda.

The governor said he stepped down out of conviction and in the interest of peace, unity and political stability in Rivers state.

His withdrawal came shortly after the APC screening committee reportedly cleared aspirants aligned with Wike for the Rivers house of assembly primaries while disqualifying several of Fubara’s allies.