Rivers 2027: Ogoni leaders withdraw support for Fubara, rally behind Wike

Leaders from the Ogoni and Oyigbo zones have formally withdrawn their support for incumbent Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The leaders have instead thrown their weight behind the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, while urging political parties to consider an Ogoni/Oyigbo candidate for the governorship.

The leaders gathered on Saturday in Nonwa, Tai Local Government Area, at an event tagged “Ogoni, Oyigbo People’s Assembly.”

The assembly, which focused on fostering unity between the two ethnic zones, was heavily attended by politicians loyal to Wike, who remains locked in a bitter political feud with Fubara, his estranged protégé.

Prominent personalities, including Senators Barinada Mpigi and Magnus Abe, Ambassador Desmond Akawor, and Chief Victor Giadom, attended the meeting.

The group emphasized that after years of marginalization, it was time for Ogoni and Oyigbo to produce the next governor of Rivers State.

Speaking on behalf of the assembly, Senator Mpigi declared, “The Ogoni and Oyigbo Peoples Assembly, a multi-political convergence of five Local Government Areas within the Rivers South-East Senatorial District, met today to reaffirm their support for the President Bola Tinubu-led administration and pledged total loyalty to the former Governor of Rivers State and current Minister of FCT, Chief Nyesom Wike.

“We also reiterate the obvious fact that the senatorial district’s upland is due for a governor and should produce the next governor of Rivers State come 2027.”

Tensions between Wike and Governor Fubara have been mounting, with Wike publicly withdrawing his support for his former ally.

Wike, who was instrumental in Fubara’s rise to power, has accused the governor of straying from their shared vision for the state.

Wike’s loyalists have now aligned themselves with the push for an Ogoni or Oyigbo candidate, further isolating Fubara politically.