Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has asked his supporters to stop referring to him as their leader, declaring that following his reconciliation with his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, he is now a member of the Rainbow Coalition, with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory as its leader.
The Rainbow Coalition is a political platform initiated by Wike to bring together members of different political parties to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
Fubara said he was aware that those who stood by him during the political crisis in the state still referred to him as their leader, particularly during meetings, but insisted that the disagreement between him and Wike was over.
He said he had returned to his political family and submitted himself to Wike’s leadership despite being the sitting governor.
The governor spoke on Tuesday at the unveiling of the Rainbow Coalition candidates for the 2027 elections in Rivers State at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Port Harcourt.
The rift between Wike and his successor erupted in October 2023, barely six months after Fubara assumed office. Wike, who backed Fubara’s emergence as governor, fell out with him over control of the state’s political structures and the influence of the former governor’s loyalists in the House of Assembly.
The dispute escalated into moves to impeach Fubara, a split in the Assembly and legal battles over control of the state. A peace deal brokered by Tinubu in December 2023 failed to resolve the differences, which deepened over budgetary matters, local government elections and political appointments.
On March 18, 2025, Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending Fubara, his deputy and the lawmakers for six months. Fubara returned to office in September 2025, but tensions persisted. Amid the political dispute, Fubara was prevented from seeking a second term.
The latest reconciliation signals an effort by the two political leaders to put the crisis behind them and present a united front ahead of the 2027 elections.
Addressing coalition members, Fubara repeatedly referred to Wike as “my oga”, saying he would not have become governor without the FCT minister’s support.
He said, “Let me say something here so that it will always help us while we move forward. I’m aware there are some issues where some persons who followed me when we had the crisis, when you’re at your meeting, you say, ‘My leader, my leader.’
“We are now in one house. And because we have one house, there is no issue about who is the leader. I might be your oga (governor), but we have a common leader now. So, please, going forward, this issue of my leader, my leader, my leader, I want it resolved here and now.”
While handing over flags to the coalition’s candidates, Fubara again acknowledged Wike’s leadership.
“Having taken care of that, let me continue. Your Excellency, my oga (referring to Wike), the leader of the Rainbow Coalition. Let me borrow the language of the PDP man. He said our G.O. You’re the G.O of Rainbow Coalition,” he said.
Expressing delight over the reconciliation, Fubara said his political family was back together for what he described as a good cause. He pledged to work for Tinubu’s re-election and the victory of all Rainbow Coalition candidates in Rivers State in the 2027 elections.
He said, “I’m really happy to be here. Not just being here, but standing in the midst of my family. This is my family because I wouldn’t have been the governor of Rivers State if God Almighty had not passed through my oga and other leaders to make it possible in our dear state.
