The war between Nyesom Wike, the former governor of Rivers State who is the FCT Minister as well as strong member of the ruling caucus, and Gov Sim Fubara of Rivers State, is believed to be one-sided so far.
This is because whereas Wike, a grandmaster and political godfather, has fired over 10 direct salvos at Fubara, the governor considered a neophyte, seems to have so far fired two indirect ones.
Wike is not only firing salvos but has launched a full campaign round the 23 LGAs headed by men believed to be his henchmen in what he called ‘Thank you’ tour for what many do not understand he is thanking them for. This has however provided him with the linch-pad to get an audience to receive the messages against the governor.
Late December 2025 when he launched the missiles, he began on December 29, 2025 rejecting any impressions that Fubara is the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State. The naming of Fubara as APC’s 001 in Rivers State seemed to anger Wike to no ends. He described leadership of the APC in Rivers State as not the automatic preserve of the state governor.
Wike, during a media chat in Port Harcourt on Monday December 29, 2025 said leadership of the party was not about being governor, but rather about having structure. He wondered why many people did defected with Fubara.
Wike said he did not object to Fubara defecting to the APC but said the governor must obey agreements.
Wike barked: “What is 001? Let me tell you, there’s nothing like, in the state, 001. You register in your ward and your local government. It’s in your ward. So if you are 001, it is in your ward. There’s nothing like state registration called 001.”
As the war intensified, Wike announced that he had captured the 23 LGAs. He said at Andoni on January 9, 2026, that he heads the Renewed Hope Family and that the group has taken over control of the political structure in the 23 local government areas of the state.
He boasted of his alleged ‘robust relationship’ with the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who have moved for impeachment of Gov Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Nma Ordu. He said allowing Fubara to be governor was a huge mistake but vowed he would not make such mistake again.
The biggest war bullet so far against Fubara is the impeachment move issued in the House. Wike however said the bid was not political. Wike is a man who seems to define meaning of words and action and decides what is morally sound or not, based on his interpretation of integrity, which he called ‘intigrity’.
Wike’s allies in the Assembly said the notice was in strict compliance with constitutional provision and not a behest of any political figure nor political coloration. The lawmakers began their resumption from suspension with calls for the governor to present the 2025 budget, a budget that was presented to and approved by the National Assembly and signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
As if to call dog a bad name to hang it, the lawmakers have called Fubara a threat to democracy. Martins Amaewhule, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, has described Fubara as a threat to democracy, adding that members of the state legislature were ready to resign if he was not removed from office.
Now, on January 8, 2026, the Rivers State House of Assembly begun fresh impeachment moves against Fubara and Ngozi Ordu, his deputy, citing acts of gross misconduct.
Read also: Again, Tinubu intervenes as Wike-Fubara feud escalates
The Assembly reconvened on Thursday January 8, 2026, weeks earlier than the January 26, 2026 date it had initially announced for resumption.
Major Jack, Majority Leader of the Assembly, during plenary on Thursday, read a notice accusing Fubara of offences which include spending funds outside the budgetary approval, seizing funds meant for the Assembly Service Commission, demolishing the Assembly complex, and refusing to comply with a Supreme Court ruling on the Assembly’s financial autonomy.
He said the notice was based of Governor Fubara’s “Appointment of persons to occupy offices and positions in the Rivers State Government without applying for the process of screening, seizure of the salary of the clerk of the Assembly, refusal to implement the decision of the Constitution on Financial Autonomy of the Rivers State House of Assembly and the Rivers State Judiciary and withholding of funds meant for the running of the Rivers State House of Assembly.”
Wike fired another salvo, accusing Fubara of cancelling 10,000 jobs he said he gave to Rivers youths. Most critics have for long accused Wike of not making good the promise to employ 10000 youths years back, till he left office.
Wike said on January 7, 2026 in Ahoada East LGA that Fubara was not allowing continuity.
“I employed Rivers State youths, 10,000. The person we handed over power to cancelled that job.”
Wike seems not done attacking Fubara alone, he seems to mobilise other important personalities in the state, especially those he gave federal jobs, to also join. Thus, Chibudom Nwuche, chairman of the South South Development Commission, rubbed it in deeper when he stressed the importance of gratitude, adding that the people of Ahoada East would continue to support their in-law, the FCT minister.
At abonnema, the FCT Minister repeated the threat not to allow Fubara come near seat of government in Rivers State come 2027.
Wike said on January 6, 2026, that his support for the re-election of Bola Tinubu as President was guaranteed, but not with the supporting Fubara. “Let me make it clear, what’s important in life is that you made a mistake and you come out and tell people, I made a mistake and therefore I want to correct the mistakes we made.”
Fubara’s indirect jabs:
Gov Fubara has not been seen throwing direct salvos at Wike. He has however made two remarks that appear like deep cuts on Wike.
Fubara first said he does not bark because only dogs do. He explained, saying dogs bark because they do not understand. Many interpreted this in different ways, but none seems complementary. Has the governor reduced all the salvos to the barking of a dog?
Many have also asked: What is the meaning of a dog that does not understand?
The other indirect salvo seems to be the remark Thursday, January 9, 2026, that he would not surrender 35% of the state’s internally generated revenue (IGR) to anybody. He qualified the anybody as a person who saw himself as the owner of the state.
Many have also interpreted this in many directions; Is someone demanding 35% of the state’s IGR? Was that the major pillar of the agreement being referred to? Could this be the real crux of the disagreement?
Fubara has promised to speak in due course. It thus means that the war will remain one-sided as long as the governor chooses silence over barrages of verbal salvos.
He may get help. Emeka Beke-led faction of the APC in the State has rejected the impeachment process initiated Thursday against Fubara and his deputy,
Darlington Nwauju, Rivers State APC factional spokesperson, in a release on Thursday January 8, 2026, said; “It will be totally untenable for our party to keep quiet when an obvious hangover from strife that occurred within the PDP are allowed to resurface in our great party.
Nwauju said: “It is important to say to Rivers people and Nigerians that since the latest threat of impeachment centers on the budget, may we remind ourselves that under the period of emergency rule, a budget was transmitted to the National Assembly by the President and Commander-in-Chief in May 2025 which was approved by the Senate on 25 June 2025 and subsequently by the House of Representatives on July 22 2025 for a total sum of N1.485 trillion,” he said.
Nwauju pointed out that the budget approved for Rivers State by the National Assembly “Interestingly, is for one year and should run until August 2026.”
He went on; “If the governor (Fubara) is comfortable with the composition of the said budget, he may elect not to present any supplementary budget. Besides, the constitution allows for a six-months spending window into the new fiscal year by a state governor.
“We therefore strongly advise all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly especially APC members, to resist pressures from outside the Assembly chambers to destablize the Government of Rivers state ably led by His Excellency Sir Siminalayi Fubara.
*Let it be known that our party will do everything possible to ensure that the Government of Rivers State, which is an APC government, is not destabilized through fratricidal disagreements.
“We therefore call on members of the State Assembly especially APC members, to immediately discontinue the impeachment process in order not to drag the image of our great party to the mud and stifle the continuous progress and development of Rivers State,” Nwauju said.
