Former Rivers State governor, Dr Peter Odili, has reaffirmed his backing for Governor Siminalayi Fubara as political tensions continue to simmer in the state.
Speaking at a public gathering in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, Odili told Fubara that he enjoyed the overwhelming support of Rivers residents and encouraged him not to waver.
According to Odili, the people had mandated him to convey a clear message to the governor: that he remained the recognised political leader of Rivers State.
He added that the loyalty of Rivers people was unwavering, stressing that they were prepared to follow Fubara wherever he went and stood with him wherever he took a position, urging the governor to remain steadfast and trust in God.
The former governor’s comments came against the backdrop of a renewed political confrontation between Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Nyesom Wike.
“Rivers people said that wherever you go, we will go with you. Wherever you stand, we will stand with you. You are standing on firm ground. Stand there and hold on to God,” he said.
READ ALSO: Wike’s camp intensifies plot to impeach Fubara next week
Mr Wike and Governor Fubara are locked in a fierce political battle in Rivers State. The former supported the latter to become Rivers State governor in 2023, but there has since been no love lost between the two.
Members of the Rivers State House of Assembly are planning to impeach the governor, but there are already internal and external pressure working to stall the impeachment.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) particularly doesn’t want the impeachment to succeed, citing Mr Fubara’s membership of the party and Mr Wike’s membership of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
A bloc of prominent figures within the APC, rallying under the banners of the APC Leaders Forum (ALF) and the Tinubu/Shettima Solidarity Movement (TSSM), last week, called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately remove Mr Nyesom Wike as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The coalition accused the minister of insubordination, engaging in activities hostile to the ruling party, and actions they say that threaten national cohesion.
In an open letter dated January 7, 2026, the coalition formally petitioned President Tinubu through the APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda. The signatories argued that Wike’s conduct was inconsistent with the expectations of a minister serving in an APC-led federal government.
The letter was released publicly on Wednesday during a peaceful protest held by members of the groups at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja. According to the organisers, the demonstration formed part of a wider campaign aimed at safeguarding party discipline, upholding democratic principles, and promoting the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
However, Mr Wike responded, saying that only President Bola Tinubu could sack him. “There is no sentiment, there is no emotion. Politics is an interest; the interest of your people. Power is not given; we struggle for it. After all, if Donald Trump did not have power, would he go to Venezuela to pick a president? He wouldn’t. Because he has power, that’s why he can act,” Wike told supporters at Obio/Akpor Local Government Area on Sunday.
READ ALSO: As Wike and Fubara trade punches, 4.4m people of Rivers State grapple with poverty
“So, for the people of Obio/Akpor, we have the power to dictate who becomes governor. All these people commenting from the sidelines, ask them if their local government, which produced only 5,000 votes, can challenge one that produced 40 percent of the votes? Let us see how it will work.
“We will use our strength to punish them. Nobody has become governor in this state without Obio/Akpor making the pronouncement. Nobody has become the senator of Rivers East without Obio/Akpor deciding. So, if you like abusing us, after abusing us, come and look for the votes—and we will punish you with the votes.”
