Fubara joins Wike’s ‘Rainbow Coalition’, says I’m back to my family

…Urges his supporters to back OK Chinda, Tinubu

Shock spread through Rivers State on Wednesday following the surprise declaration of support by Governor Sim Fubara for ex-Governor Nyesom Wike’s rainbow coalition which has produced all the key candidates of the two major political parties in the State.

The governor, who made the declaration at a project site, also expressed backing for Kingsley Chinda who defected from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to snatch the Governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Governor Fubara said he was back to his political family and urged his supporters and followers to do same, a charge that set tongues wagging. Some are berating him while some others such as Solomon Lenu say they are shocked.

The governor’s aides called it a declaration of peace and total cessation of hostilities in the political arena in the State.

A Government House statement quoted Governor Fubara to have said that as a loyal member of the APC, he has also become a member of the Rainbow Coalition, the political group put together by Wike, his predecessor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, to advance the interests of the ruling party in Rivers State.

The governor, who made his position known on Wednesday during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Riven Medical Industries Project in Port Harcourt, disclosed that the hitherto contending political forces in the State had resolved their differences and resolved to work together in the interest of the peace and development of the state.

Governor Fubara charged his teeming supporters across the State to, without prejudice to the past, join him in supporting the ambitions of President Bola Tinubu, Chinda and all the other candidates of the APC in Rivers State during the 2027 general elections.

He stated, “We have made peace in the State and I am supporting our Rainbow Coalition. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is our president, and is the one we are supporting. OK Chinda is the governorship candidate that I am supporting and anybody who believes in me will support him and every other candidate that is under the Rainbow Coalition.

“I’ve gone back to our family. So, please, whoever you are, give your total support to the Rainbow Coalition. We need to move forward. The time of war is over. It is time for peace and this peace is taking us to another level.

“I want this to be made clear to everybody. So, don’t go anywhere and say you’re supporting Fubara. No. No. No. My position is this: I have said it here and clearly for everyone to hear. If you’re not hearing, we’ll use cotton wool to clean your ears and let it enter well. I’m not party to anything that will bring any form of disunity in this state. I’ve done what I need to do and we are moving forward”.

Governor Fubara described the Riven Medical Industries Project as a positive development for the State, but warned against a repeat of the ugly experiences in the past where some investors were given the opportunity to operate in the State, only to renege on some aspects of the agreement, leading to litigations.

According to Governor Fubara, his administration endorsed the project out of the conviction that the new investors have the capacity and commitment to deliver on the mandate to revive the project, create jobs and boost economic development in the State.

He charged the investors to endeavour to keep to the timelines and ensure that the first phase of the project will be successfully achieved in the next three months.

He also appealed to the host communities and the leadership of the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, to give their maximum support to the project and avoid anything that could disrupt its smooth operation.

Governor Fubara pledged that his administration would continue to provide total support to the project to ensure its success.

Signs that Governor Fubara has capitulated came when the Rivers State House of Assembly suddenly resumed sitting after several months.

Next, the House received Governor Fubara to present what is regarded as the ‘Medium Term Expenditure Framework’, and a few days later, the 2026 budget of N1.85trn.

Many noted that all parties may have resolved how to manage the funds of the state, warranting the budget to be presented.