Crisis between Fubara/Wike not our headache because FCT Minister is a member of PDP – APC National Chairman

Crisis between Fubara/Wike not our headache because FCT Minister is a member of PDP – APC National Chairman

APC national chairman Nentawe Yilwatda has distanced the ruling party from the political rift involving Nyesom Wike and Rivers governor Siminalayi Fubara, saying the matter does not fall under the party’s authority.

Speaking on Tuesday during Channels Television’s Politics Today, Yilwatda explained that the disagreement is not one the APC leadership can arbitrate, given the political affiliations of the two actors.

“When it comes to the issue between Wike and Fubara, it’s not within my purview as the national chairman of APC. Wike is in PDP, Fubara is in APC,” he said.

He clarified that the only aspect relevant to the party is the impeachment controversy in Rivers state, which he said involves APC lawmakers in the state house of assembly. According to Yilwatda, that issue remains an internal party affair.

“The issue of impeachment is not about Wike now; it concerns APC house of assembly members. That is something I can discuss. It’s an internal matter, and we have mechanisms within APC to resolve such issues,” he added.

The APC chairman stressed that disputes within the party should be managed quietly and responsibly, rather than played out in public.

“We don’t put these discussions in the public. Issues can be resolved through in-house activities that require maturity to address,” he said.

When asked whether Wike poses any challenge to the ruling party, Yilwatda dismissed the suggestion outright, responding: “never, never”.

The tensions trace back to December 2025, when the FCT minister began openly opposing Fubara’s re-election bid, accusing the governor of violating an agreement they allegedly signed before President Bola Tinubu lifted the emergency rule in Rivers state.

Around the same period, Rivers lawmakers loyal to Wike accused Fubara of authorising state expenditures without legislative approval.

Those accusations led to impeachment proceedings against Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, over claims of “gross misconduct”.

However, on January 23, a Rivers high court adjourned the case indefinitely, holding that the court of appeal must first resolve pending appeals filed by the speaker and other lawmakers, a decision that effectively stalled the impeachment process.