May 17, (THEWILL) — Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara’s re-election bid on the platform of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, has collapsed, THEWILL can authoritatively report, after failing to get the support of President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, his political godfather.
Both Fubara and Wike have been struggling for supremacy and control of the APC machinery in the oil-rich State ahead of the 2027 general poll.
An authoritative party source, who asked to remain anonymous, told THEWILL that the President directed the National Chairman of the APC, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda to give Wike full control of the party’s structure in Rivers State and approve all his nominees as candidates of the party in the next election. “Wike has nominated Kingsley Chinda, who currently represents Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives as his preferred choice for the APC’s governorship ticket.”
Fubara had unsuccessfully sought the president’s support. “The President said he should go and talk to Wike about it. If Wike agrees then he has his full support. As you already know, Wike has repeatedly said Fubara will not get a second term. So we will not give him the ticket to our party,” the source said.
THEWILL reports that Chinda was until last week a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and served as Minority Leader in the House. He was cleared by the APC screening panel last week to run in the governorship primary.
Out of the 31 incumbent governors on the platform of the APC, 13 first-term governors are seeking a second term in office in the 2027 election. They have no opposition. In some states like Lagos, President Bola Tinubu’s home state, and Borno, Vice-President Kashim Shettima’s state, the party has chosen its governorship candidates through consensus. In states like Ogun and Nasarawa where the outgoing governors have got stakeholders to endorse preferred candidates, primaries are being held by the party in deference to aspirants opposed to the consensus mode of choosing its candidates.
Yet, none of the 31 states governed by the party has the challenge facing Rivers State where the polity has been polarised by a prolonged rift between Fubara and Wike, who has decided, with the subtle support of the APC and President Tinubu, that the governor will not get a second term.
Their prolonged battle entered its crucial and final stage with the ongoing party primaries which began yesterday, Saturday, May 16, 2026, with the conduct of the primaries for the House of Representatives aspirants who would contest the available 13 seats on the platform of the APC. In his first round, Fubara lost to Wike.
As announced the previous day by the state APC Publicity Secretary, Chibike Ikenga, in a statement titled, ‘Final List of Aspirants for the House of Representatives Primary Election for Saturday, 16th May, 2026’, the list of cleared and disqualified aspirants showed that the outcome of the exercise was foretold.
FUBARA Vs WIKE’S ASPIRING LEGISLATORS
THEWILL gathered that recent screening exercises conducted by the APC for National and State Assembly aspirants have further strengthened perceptions that Wike’s loyalists now dominate the Rivers APC structure. In what many political observers describe as a major setback for Fubara’s camp, the APC House of Representatives Screening Committee disqualified three serving lawmakers widely identified as loyal to the governor from participating in the party’s primaries. Those disqualified include Hon. Anderson Allison, Hon. Awaji-Inombek Abiante and Hon. Boma Goodhead — lawmakers who openly aligned with Fubara during the prolonged political crisis that fractured Rivers politics.
The Rivers State House of Assembly Screening Committee also cleared only 33 aspirants, while disqualifying 65 others over alleged compliance and documentation-related infractions. The committee, chaired by Muraina Ajibola, cited reasons including alleged inducement of officials, invalid affidavits, irregular membership documentation, inconsistencies in names and dates of birth, insufficient nominators and failure to comply with party guidelines.
However, the pattern of the disqualifications has continued to fuel controversy because many aspirants linked to Fubara’s camp and other rival blocs were screened out, while aspirants associated with Wike’s political structure were largely cleared. Among those reportedly disqualified are Chijoke Ihunwo, Victor Oko-Jumbo and Sokari Goodboy, all believed to be aligned with competing political tendencies within the Rivers APC.
Hon. Anderson Alisson, currently represents Okrika/Ogu-Bolo Federal Constituency, while Hon. Abinate Awaji Imombek represents Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro Federal Constituency, and Hon. Boma Goodhead, represents Kuku-Toru/Asari-Toru Federal Constituency.
Hon. Hart Cyril, representing Degema/Bonny Constituency; Hon. Blessing Amadi, representing Port Harcourt II Federal Constituency; Hon. Dumnamene Dekor representing Khana/Gokana Federal Constituency; Hon. Solomon Bob, representing Abua/Odual and Ahoada East constituency; Hon. Uche Felix Nwaeke, representing Eleme/Tai/Oyigbo Federal Constituency; Hon. Victor Chukwuemele Obuzor, representing Rivers Ahoada West Ogba Egbema Ndoni Federal Constituency and Speaker of the Assembly, Hon. Martin Amaewhule who replaces Kingsley Chinda who bought the APC governorship forms). Other allies of the minister were also cleared to replace the three disqualified Rep members.
Remarkably, the three Rep members, Hon. Alisson, Hon. Imombek and Hon. Goodhead was part of the lawmakers who took sides with Governor Fubara during the political crisis in Rivers State. They were also among the four lawmakers who defected with the governor to the APC.
The fourth Rep member, Boniface Sunday Emerengwa, is said to have got the Senate nomination forms, but the final list is not yet out as the primary for the senatorial position, according to the party’s timetable, will be held on Monday, May 18, 2026. The State House of Assembly will follow on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, while the governorship will be held on Thursday, May 21, 2026.
However, as the primary for the Reps was being concluded, another round of crisis broke out on Saturday following the disqualification of a former presidential aspirant on the party’s platform, Tien Jack-Rick, from aspiring for the Rivers West Senatorial race and the clearance of a Wike loyalist, a former state PDP Chairman, who joined the APC three months ago, Felix Obua. Jack-Rich was one of the aspirants during the APC presidential primary held in July 2022.
“How can our party allow only one man who is not a member of our party to make decisions or dictate the direction of our party? National Coordinator, Dr. Bilal Galadima, and General Secretary, Hon. James Ogenyi, of the Conference of APC Support Groups, said in a statement made available to journalists on Saturday, adding, “How can our party disqualify Jack-Rich, a former presidential aspirant who has been loyal and supported our party for the last 13 years, only for our party to choose Felix Obua, a Wike loyalist who only joined the party three months ago?”
According to them, only aspirants aligned with Wike were cleared to contest for elective positions in the state. The third round of primaries involving the Assembly, to be held on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, is already predetermined. The governor’s loyalists failed the screening while all Wike’s loyalists scaled through.
In the fourth and final round, Governor Fubara himself will enter the ring with two other Wike’s chosen contenders, Hon. Kingsley Chinda and Dax George-Kelly, a director-general of the Border Communities Development Agency, BCDA, alongside Tonye Cole, a former governorship candidate.
FUBARA, CHINDA, KELLY, COLE
The disqualification of several political figures and aspirants identified with the governor’s camp, amid growing realisation that loyalists of the Minister Wike, have tightened their grip on the party’s structure in the state have heightened uncertainty about the political future of Governor Fubara ahead of the APC governorship primaries scheduled for Thursday, May 21, 2026.
The latest development comes amid the prolonged and bitter political war between Governor Fubara and his estranged political godfather, Nyesom Wike, who has continued to leverage on his working relationship with President Bola Tinubu to maintain political grip in Rivers State.
Political insiders who spoke with THEWILL said calculations within Wike’s camp are being driven by the belief that control of the party structure ultimately determines control of delegates and, by extension, the governorship ticket. The development has further confirmed the prolonged crisis and realignments within the Rivers political establishment, giving the lingering rift between Fubara and Wike.
The contention heightened after it emerged that Chinda was the first aspirant screened by the APC panel, thereby confirming fears that the federal lawmaker was the governorship choice of the powers that be.
“The strategy now is not hidden anymore. The focus is on consolidating the APC structure from the wards to the local governments before the governorship primaries. That is where the real battle is,” a source familiar with the developments told THEWILL.
Another APC source disclosed that Wike’s camp is determined not to “repeat the mistake of 2023,” a phrase increasingly used by some loyalists of the former Rivers governor in reference to Fubara’s emergence as governor.
“He feels betrayed and politically embarrassed by how everything turned out after 2023. That is why the structure battle is now very intense,” the source stated.
The latest political developments appear consistent with several recent public statements credited to Wike openly declaring that Fubara would not return as governor in 2027. At a political gathering, earlier this year in Rivers State, the FCT minister vowed never to support Fubara for a second term, insisting that no amount of political pressure would compel him to “repeat the same mistake” of backing the governor in 2023.
Wike also accused the governor of allegedly reneging on agreements reached during peace talks brokered by President Tinubu over the Rivers political crisis. “After agreeing on something, you renege. And you think you are a smart politician?” Wike had said.
Amid the deepening feud, THEWILL gathered that Wike has deployed a two-level political strategy aimed at preventing Fubara from securing re-election in 2027.
While consolidating control of political structures within the Rivers APC and strengthening loyalists across strategic institutions in the state, the Minister drafted a former federal lawmaker, and currently, Director-General of the Border Communities Development Agency, BCDA, Dax George Kelly and Kingsley Chinda into the governorship primary, with Chinda as the preferred choice.
A party chieftain who spoke with THEWILL in Port Harcourt said the outcome of the screening process has deepened fears among Fubara’s supporters ahead of the governorship primaries. “The screening outcome has only strengthened the perception that some forces are trying to edge out people loyal to the governor from the structure before 2027,” the source said.
Political observers say the latest developments have reinforced perceptions that Wike loyalists now wield considerable influence within the Rivers APC under the leadership of state APC chairman, Tony Okocha, whose loyalty to the FCT minister is widely acknowledged within political circles in the state.
Tensions escalated further earlier this week when Wike paid a high-profile visit to the National Chairman of the APC, Yilwatda, at his residence in Abuja. Although details of the meeting were not officially disclosed, the visit intensified speculations that consultations surrounding Rivers State’s political future and the APC’s governorship calculations may already be underway ahead of Thursday’s governorship primaries and the broader 2027 political contest.
PROGRESSIVES GOVERNORS FORUM SUPPORT
The Governor Hope-Uzodinma’s led Progressives Governors Forum, PGF, sources say, has been a major backer of Governor Fubara since his defection to the APC, insisting that Wike, a non-member of the party should not be allowed to influence party decisions or peddle his relationship with the President around the party. Still, Wike is said to be unrelenting in his anti-Fubara stand. In fact, he is said to have meddled in the recent PGF crisis over alleged misappropriated campaign funds as exclusively reported by THEWILL, as a way to distract them and weaken their support for Fubara.
ELIGIBILITY ISSUES
THEWILL gathered that the Fubara camp may raise what a party source described as eligibility issues allegedly surrounding Hon. Chinda and George-Kelly, both governorship aspirants loyal to Wike.
Though he appeared before the screening committee APC ahead of the party’s governorship primaries in Rivers state, Hon. Chinda is still formally the Minority Leader in the House, even as reports say he defected to the APC on April 27, 2026, less than a month before his appearance for the party’s screening exercise.
For George-Kelly, his eligibility challenge revolves round his status as a public official who wants to contest while serving in office, a clear violation of a directive issued by the presidency through the office of the secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), mandating political appointees seeking elective positions in 2027 to resign on or before March 30, 2026. He is allegedly to have received his salary for April, 2026, thereby in violation of the exit order. On the other hand, sources say, provisions in the party’s constitution may come in handy in making a case against Chinda and George-Kelly.
PROVISIONS IN APC CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE 31 1. Under OMNIBUS PROVISIONS, says:
Provided always that in pursuit of all the provisions herein contained in this Constitution, the following shall ensure that:
i. No person shall be eligible to contest for any Party position, or be nominated by the Party to be its candidate at any election, if the person is not a member of the Party.
ii. All nominations into elective offices shall be supported by a specified number of nominators from the relevant Constituencies as may be prescribed or provided for in the Party’s Electoral Guidelines.
iii. Any Party office holder interested in contesting for an elective office (whether party office or office in a general election) shall resign and leave office 30 days prior to the date of nomination or Party primary for the Office he or she is seeking to contest.
3. CONDITIONS FOR WAIVER:
A person may be granted a waiver only on condition that: i. He or she has not been convicted by any court of competent jurisdiction for any criminal offence. ii. He or she has applied for a waiver in writing to the National Working Committee of the Party through his/her appropriate Ward, Local Government Area/Area Council, State, Federal Capital Territory and Zonal Committee. iii. He or she has signed an undertaking to uphold and implement the manifesto of the Party in the event of winning the election.
Alarmed at Chinda’s clearance by the APC while he is yet to publicly defect to the governing party and step down from his position in the House, a legal petitioner, Chizy Enyi has petitioned the Speaker of the House of Representatives to immediately remove the lawmaker as Minority Leader.
In an open letter dated May 9, 2026 and addressed to the Speaker Enyi argued that Chinda has lost his claim to the office of Minority Leader after appearing before the APC governorship screening committee as an aspirant on the same day.
“It is against conscience, natural justice, and the rule of the House of Representatives that he continues to occupy the position of the Minority Leader,” Enyi stated and wondered whether “one political party should be allowed to produce both the Majority Leader and Minority Leader of the House simultaneously.” He urged the Speaker to “remove him immediately without further delay,” insisting that the issue of credibility versus partisanship was in question.
AFTERMATH
Fears that failure of the governor to get the party ticket may fuel unrest among ethnic nationalities in the state, particularly among his Ijaw people, is unfounded. Investigation shows that people of the state are tired of the prolonged rift between the governor and the Minister to the extent that they simply want a relief; supporting either of them has cost them good governance for the past three years and they want to move on with their lives.
Speaking with THEWILL, public affairs analyst, Obiwan Akanwa, said recent political developments suggest that the APC leadership at both state and national levels may not have given Governor Fubara the level of political influence many expected him to wield within the party.
According to Akanwa, the unfolding events raise serious questions about the governor’s actual standing within the APC despite public endorsements and declarations recognising him as a major political figure in Rivers State. “What we are seeing politically suggests that despite being recognised publicly, the governor may not yet have full control or influence within the party structure as many expected. The ongoing developments are raising serious political questions,” Akanwa stated.
However, political scientist at the University of Port Harcourt, Dr Obinna Nwodim, disagrees with claims that Governor Fubara has already been politically sidelined.
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
