By Aniefiok Christopher
The Presidency is backing Governor Siminalayi Fubara as the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State in a move aimed at dousing political tension.
Special Adviser on Policy Communication to President Bola Tinubu, Daniel Bwala, who stated this, said this aligns with the position of Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, the National Chairman of the APC, on the leadership hierarchy in Rivers state, emphasising that former governor Nyesom Wike is not part of the ruling party.
Bwala spoke on Channels Television’s Hard Copy on Thursday amid a political standoff in the state, which has seen the Rivers Assembly begin impeachment proceedings against Fubara.
Also read:
- Gov Wike Is Not A Failed Leader- Sen Okorocha
- Rivers Assembly Resumes Another Impeachment Battle Against Gov Fubara
- APC, Wike Trade Words over Gov Fubara’s Party Leadership
He said the national chairman’s position is clear: Fubara, not Wike, leads the APC in Rivers.
“I agree with the point highlighted by the national chairman [Nentawe Yilwatda] that in Rivers State, Governor Fubara is the leader of the APC in Rivers State. Wike is not a member of APC, so he cannot speak for the APC.
“He may be the leader of the PDP in Rivers State because he was a former governor and they do not have a governor at the moment, but in APC, the leader of the party in Rivers State is Governor Fubara,” he stated.
According to Bwala, Tinubu supports internal party processes and the rule of law, backing the APC leadership’s stance on the matter.
On the impeachment moves against Fubara, the presidential aide said the party expects that the governor should be allowed to carry out his duties without obstruction.
“There have been orders of court that stopped impeachment. The party is clear. Nobody should stop Fubara from governing the state,” he said.
Bwala also clarified that Wike’s role as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory does not confer party authority. He described Wike as serving the Federal Government, not the APC.
“The President believes in compensating people, but not at the expense of the interest of Nigeria.
“He will give you latitude and privilege, but not at the expense of what is right,” Bwala said.
He called on all stakeholders to respect constitutional processes, noting that the APC’s recognition of Fubara as party leader has settled the dispute within the state.
Fubara joined the APC in December 2025 after leaving the PDP and has already been endorsed for a second term in 2027.
Lawmakers in the Rivers State House of Assembly recently initiated impeachment proceedings against Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, on grounds of alleged gross misconduct, including claims of financial mismanagement and constitutional breaches.
Fubara’s impeachment plot suffers setback
Meanwhile, the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Simeon Amadi, has burst the plot by the Rivers State House of Assembly to oust Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, after declining to constitute a judicial panel to investigate the governor, citing a subsisting court order restraining him from taking such action.
On January 8, the lawmakers commenced impeachment proceedings against Fubara and his deputy.
The lawmakers launched the process after Major Jack, leader of the assembly, read gross misconduct charges against Fubara, endorsed by 26 members of the house.
On January 16, the lawmakers voted in favour of a motion requesting the chief judge to probe the gross misconduct allegations against Fubara and his deputy.
The allegations include budgetary impropriety, failure to present the 2026 appropriation bill to the assembly, unauthorised expenditure of public funds, withholding of statutory allocations to the legislature, and other acts deemed to constitute gross misconduct.
Subsequently, a high court in Port Harcourt issued an interim order restraining the chief judge from receiving or acting on any impeachment notice against Fubara and Odu.
Amadi said Amaewhule has already lodged an appeal against the interim orders at the court of appeal in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers, noting that the notices of appeal were served on his office on January 19 and 20.
“By the doctrine of ‘lis pendens’, parties and the court have to await the outcome of the appeal,” the letter reads.
“In view of the foregoing, my hand is fettered, as there are subsisting interim orders of injunction and appeal against the said orders. I am therefore legally disabled at this point from exercising my duties under Section 188(5) of the Constitution in the instant.”
The chief judge asked the Rivers state assembly to be “magnanimous enough to appreciate the legal position of the matter.”
Analysts said Justice Amadi had no room to act, as he is expressly named in an existing order of a Rivers State High Court, which restrains him from taking any step capable of advancing the impeachment process.
“There is a court order from a High Court sitting in Port Harcourt. The name of the Chief Judge is specifically mentioned. He cannot disobey the law. He must do exactly what the court says,” the source said.
