Mines on Fubara’s path to 2027 despite clearance to run

The First Information Report (FIR) that emanated from Abuja into Port Harcourt in the past week was that Gov Sim Fubara of Rivers State stormed out of the screening room of governors with apparent gloom. He was said to have brushed aside requests for interview by Reporters.

This immediately sent wild speculations that he was not screened because he was said to have spent brief moments in the place.

As tension spread through Rivers State and the Niger Delta over the fate of the first Ijaw man to govern Rivers State since return of democracy in 1999, news came that Fubara had been cleared in Abuja, and that in fact, he was asked to take a bow. The people of the state did not seem to know whether to rejoice or grieve especially in the face of wild rumours and absence of official statements in Rivers State these days.

It was worse that no authority was ready to confirm or clarify the clearance story. While this was happening, the Fubara nominees to the Rivers State House of Assembly (who were totally different from the present set opposing him daily) were all rejected at the screening panel of the APC. They were part of the 65 that were turned down after clearing those people refer to as the ‘Nyesom Wike list’.

Many waited to understand what the game was all about. They did not need to wait for long. The National Assembly primaries came on May 16, 2026. The outcome is that Wike’s men led the way as APC disqualifies Fubara’s allies.

Martin Amaewhule, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, won the House of Representatives primaries to fly the APC flag during the 2027 general elections.

Blessing Amadi, currently representing Port Harcourt Federal Constituency and a strong ally of Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT), was said to have won the APC ticket to seek a return to her seat at the House of Representatives, while Hart Cyril Godwin, another ally was reportedly in a pole position to fly the party’s flag for Bonny/Degema Federal Constituency at the general elections.

The party had cleared Amaewhule, alongside 18 other aspirants, believed to be pro-Wike, to contest the primaries for the 13 federal constituencies across the state, while disqualifying four others, including serving Reps members, said to be sympathetic to Fubara, the state governor.

Those disqualified from the race include, John Azubuike Opara, Air Commodore (rtd), Anderson Allison Igbiki, Awaji Imombek D. Abiante, and Boma Goodhead (currently representing Asari-Toru in the House of Representatives).

Amaewhule, Linda Somiari Steward (currently representing Okrika in the state House of Assembly), Dumnamene R. Dekor (currently representing Gokana/Khana Federal Constituency), and others were however cleared to run.

With this, many saw that the path for Fubara is still strewn with landmines and scorpions.

Various sources contacted on Saturday, May 16, 2026, said the plan was to disqualify Fubara when it was learnt that the Presidency gave all APC Governors the prerogative to submit list to the national APC. It is not clear what made the APC to change their mind and allow Fubara scale through the first stage.

Now, many sources suggest that because Wike has made public commitment to stopping Fubara for anything second term, he would not stop at anything but that.

Wike seemed to show his power by allegedly getting some 20 APC governors to attempt to remove Gov Hope Uzodinma, seen to be backing Fubara, from being Chairman of the Progressives Governors (APC) governors. This seems to reflect the trend that Fubara has backing from a section of Aso Rock while Wike has control of Abuja, federal institutions, and Rivers political structure.

Wike had struggled with Fubara for structure. Wike ended up controlling the House of Assembly, most federal lawmakers from Rivers State, tried to capture the state government cabinet, the LGA structure, the APC and PDP, etc. With these, insiders say he would first make sure selection would not be by consensus which the governor may use to submit his own name for governor and was to get Gov Uzodinma’s support, but to wait for Fubara at the primaries where the electors would be those handpicked from Wike’s structure. He has already lined up two governorship aspirants, one from the riverine, the other from upland, in case where the mood of the state would swing. They could end up as governor and deputy.

Should Fubara by any means scale though, Wike would wait for him at the main election. He would surely have somebody in PDP to do battle against Fubara.

Finally, should Fubara find a way to win, he would find lions waiting for him in Rivers State House of Assembly to begin his real impeachment on day one.

By all of these steps at different stages, Gov Fubara has got battles and mines lined up against him at every corner of the path. Yet, the governor keeps his aces in his chest, only to spring surprise at the last minute.

A source said it is the President that asked him to defect to the ruling party, and he obeyed. By that move, he lost a cluster of top backers such as Austin Opara, Abiye Sekibo, Celestine Omehia, and half of Chibuike Amaechi.

The Fubara men would have moved to Labour Party but intel in the corridors of power is that many fangs have been prepared against the LP for 2027. A source said, the power of LP in 2023 will never be same in 2027 because of traps set everywhere.

Most of the Fubara men that were screened out are expected to move into the NDC, but many say deadline for defection may have expired. The APC may have used the appeal gimmick to trap the Fubara men till defection time would expire.

Chijioke Ihunwo, one of Fubara’s strongest backers who was Obio/Akpo LGA boss till the Supreme Court threw them out, just said he and many others would remain with Fubara at all cost, saying it is time to test loyalty.

Gov Fubara may be the governor to watch in the run-in to 2027.