The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said the biggest mistakes made by his successor, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, were attempting to govern without the support of the political structure that brought him to power and trying to build his own political base too soon after assuming office.
Wike made the remarks during a special media chat in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Saturday.
According to the former Rivers governor, he was surprised that Fubara began efforts to establish an independent political structure less than 100 days after taking office, describing the move as a sign that the governor underestimated those who supported his emergence.
“In politics, you have to be careful,” Wike said. “There are people who genuinely want you to succeed, and there are those who never wanted you in that position. You must be able to distinguish between them.”
He recalled that before leaving office, he had urged Fubara to build on the foundation laid by his administration, with the goal of positioning Rivers State to compete with Lagos in infrastructure and development.
Wike cited projects such as the multi-billion-naira Port Harcourt Ring Road and the construction of 12 flyovers, which he said transformed the state’s infrastructure and were intended to serve as a platform for continued progress.
“My thinking was that we needed to compete with Lagos. We had laid the foundation, and he should have continued from there. We were ready to give him all the necessary support,” he said.
The FCT minister alleged that Fubara was influenced by individuals who never wanted him to succeed, including politicians who had their own ambitions and allegedly encouraged him to challenge the political structure that produced him.
“You just came into office, and people started telling you to distance yourself from those who supported you and create your own structure. Some even reached out through family members. As a leader, you must carefully consider where such advice will lead,” Wike stated.
He argued that Fubara’s decision to rely solely on himself politically created the crisis that later engulfed the state.
“If you make the mistake of saying, ‘I can do it alone. I don’t need those who supported me,’ those who never wanted you in office will take advantage of the situation. There is no way people who opposed your emergence will genuinely want you to succeed,” he said.
Wike also dismissed allegations that he demanded money from Governor Fubara, describing the claims as a familiar tactic often deployed whenever political allies fall out.
He questioned why he would seek financial benefits from the Rivers governor while serving as FCT minister, noting that the Federal Capital Territory now operates with a budget comparable to that of many states.
“What I wanted was for him to stabilise the state and continue from where I stopped. I laid a solid foundation because I wanted Rivers to compete with Lagos,” he said.
Highlighting his performance as FCT minister, Wike said the territory’s monthly Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) had increased from about ₦8 billion when he assumed office to approximately ₦40 billion.
He maintained that had Fubara remained focused on governance rather than political disagreements, Rivers State would have been better positioned to sustain its development trajectory.
