Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has confirmed that Nyesom Wike, the powerful former governor of Rivers State and now minister of the federal capital territory, is playing an active role in efforts to resolve the deepening political crisis in the oil-rich state — even though he is not a registered member of the party.
The disclosure was made on Thursday by the APC’s national secretary, Ajibola Basiru, during an interview on TVC’s Beyond the Headlines. Basiru said Wike’s enduring influence in Rivers politics, coupled with his open support for President Bola Tinubu, made his involvement unavoidable.
“Of course, as you know, Wike is an avowed supporter of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, even though he is not a member of the political party,” Basiru said. “Rivers State is critical to the success of President Tinubu, and definitely, he will be engaged. He’s been engaged in an amicable resolution in the state as expected.”
Basiru stressed that the negotiations under way were largely being conducted behind closed doors, cautioning that “not every measure being taken will be made public through the media”. He said the ruling party was confident the crisis would be resolved without “winners or losers”, promising that the outcome would be communicated in due course.
The intervention comes amid sustained criticism that the APC has become an elite-driven platform dominated by governors and political heavyweights. Basiru rejected that characterisation, insisting the party retained broad popular appeal.
“The APC is a very serious political party. We are a mass-based organisation,” he said, pointing to figures from the party’s electronic registration system. “We are loved by the Nigerian people, and they are trooping out to join the APC.”
He described the party’s ideology as “socio-democratic and pro-people”, arguing that its nationwide reach and mobilisation efforts had cemented its status as Nigeria’s dominant political force.
At the heart of the Rivers turmoil is a long-running feud between Wike and his political protégé-turned-rival, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, over control of the state’s political machinery. The dispute took a dramatic turn on 9 December 2025, when Fubara defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC — a move widely seen as a strategic realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The governor’s defection followed the earlier switch of several influential members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to the APC, effectively ending Fubara’s long association with the PDP and positioning him as the ruling party’s leading figure in the state.
Wike, however, responded with unusually sharp criticism, accusing Fubara of reneging on prior agreements and questioning his prospects of securing a second term. The FCT minister has argued that the governor lacks genuine support within the APC and is being misadvised, predicting a difficult path to re-election in one of Nigeria’s most politically volatile states.
Tensions escalated further in January, when a majority of Rivers assembly members — themselves aligned with the APC — initiated impeachment proceedings against Fubara. The move, which began on 8 January 2026, was widely interpreted by political observers as reflecting Wike’s enduring grip on the state’s power structures. The process has since stalled, bogged down by legal challenges.
As the ruling party seeks to steady the situation, Wike’s role — straddling loyalty to the president, personal influence in Rivers and formal distance from the APC — underscores the complex and often informal nature of power in Nigerian politics, where party lines can matter less than personalities.
