Political analyst Mahmud Jega has warned that President Bola Tinubu’s involvement in the political tussle between Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike may exacerbate the situation rather than resolve it.
Jega made the remarks on Tuesday during an interview on Arise Television.
“As far as I can see, President Tinubu’s intervention will perpetuate the crisis, instead of resolving it,” he said.
He argued that declaring Wike as the “undisputed political leader” in Rivers State contradicts the APC constitution, which recognises governors as the party leaders in their respective states. “Now, you are saying that Wike is the leader when he is not even a member of the APC. That says a lot, because even the National Secretary was saying that Wike, if you want, you can come into our party, otherwise you shouldn’t meddle,” Jega noted.
The analyst further suggested that Tinubu’s purported backing of Wike’s continued role in Rivers politics, despite remaining in the PDP, aligns with the President’s alleged strategy to weaken the opposition ahead of the 2027 elections.
“So, honestly, this does not look like an attempt to solve the problem. Instead, it is to hand over the knife and everything to Minister Wike to continue the role that he is playing as leader of Rivers politics in both APC and PDP. This has never happened in the political history of Nigeria,” Jega added.