The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has stated that Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, is surrounded by individuals who had previously sought to become governor.

Wike made this remark during a grand reception held in his honor by the Kalabari people of Rivers State on Saturday.

He claimed that those advising Fubara do not have his best interests at heart and are working towards his removal from office for their own benefit.

The minister specifically pointed out Tammy Danagogo, the Secretary to the State Government, as one of the key figures responsible for the political crisis between him and his successor.

“The problem started when Danagogo, the Secretary to the government, used his elder brother, who is a justice, to use an ex parte order to justify that 27 members of the Rivers Assembly have defected. Unnoticed. He also used the same order to say that the state governor can present the budget to three or four lawmakers,” Wike said.

He accused Danagogo of being upset about not receiving the governorship ticket and of influencing Fubara negatively.

“Look at Danagogo, who wanted to be governor. He was so pained that he was not given the ticket; he was the one following the governor, and he (Fubara) did not know. He will lead you (Fubara) to hellfire.”

Wike also cautioned Fubara regarding those offering him advice:

“You (Fubara) surrounded yourself with people who wanted to be governor, whom I said ‘no,’ these people don’t mean well for Rivers State. They are the ones surrounding you, giving you advice. Do you think you will succeed? They will give bad advice, and look at what bad advice is doing to you. You are already down 2-0, and there’s more to come. They come there and abuse me, and you are happy; you don’t know it is you they want to destroy.”

More to come…

Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna state, has called on former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, ex-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), to become members of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

El-Rufai officially moved to the SDP from the All Progressives Congress (APC) on March 10, stating that his values no longer aligned with those of the ruling party.

“Developments in the last two years confirm that there is no desire on the part of those who currently control and run the APC to acknowledge, much less address, the unhealthy situation of the party,” he said.

“On my part, I have raised concerns in private and, more recently, in public regarding the capricious trajectory of the party. Therefore, at this point in my political journey, I have come to the conclusion that I must seek another political platform for the pursuit of the progressive values I cherish.”

Speaking in an interview published by BBC Hausa on Saturday, el-Rufai dismissed the possibility of a merger and encouraged opposition figures, including Rauf Aregbesola, former governor of Osun, and Rotimi Amaechi, former governor of Rivers, to join the SDP in order to defeat President Bola Tinubu.

“My wishes and prayers are Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, Rauf, all opposition leaders to come and join SDP, not to do a merger or to register a new political party,” he said.

El-Rufai explained that his support for Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election was based on the latter’s achievements as Lagos state governor, saying he backed Tinubu with the expectation that he would replicate the success at the national level.

“We know what Tinubu did in Lagos, we are all aware, but we said if he can do the same as he did that makes Lagos great, we said okay, let’s support him,” he said.

Addressing speculation about his possible candidacy in the 2027 presidential election, el-Rufai stated that the decision would be made by his party and the public, not him personally.

“It is not for me to decide, it is the party and the people that will decide. Even when I was contesting for governor, it was people that met and convinced (Muhammadu) Buhari, and he called me and asked me to contest,” he added.

El-Rufai had previously stated that he informed Buhari about his plan to leave the APC, but the former president later clarified that he remains loyal to the ruling party.

Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran, also known as Jandor, who was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the 2023 general election, recently met with President Bola Tinubu at the presidential villa.

This is according to a report by TheCable.

The private meeting took place between 2 pm and 4 pm and was not publicly disclosed.

Jandor recently announced his departure from the PDP, citing “indiscipline and anti-party activities” but has yet to reveal his next political move.

Previously, he was a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) before switching to the PDP to contest the governorship election.

The 47-year-old politician accused the PDP’s national leadership of failing him right before the election, claiming he could have won if not for a misleading claim about an alliance that caused PDP supporters in Lagos to vote for a different candidate.

In the election, Jide Sanwo-Olu, the APC candidate and incumbent governor, won with 762,134 votes, while Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party received 312,329 votes, and Jandor secured 62,449 votes.

In his resignation letter, Jandor stated:

“I am here before you today without a heavy heart and a clear conscience. We have dedicated ourselves to the ideals of democracy—both good governance and the pursuit of a better Lagos.”

“However, it has become evident that the leadership of the PDP, both at the national and state levels, has failed to uphold its principles.”

“We will consult widely with everybody and then take the decision to collapse our structure to another platform. The major thing now is that we have left the PDP.”

Although details of his meeting with Tinubu remain undisclosed, Aso Rock sources suggest it was an effort to reconcile political differences.

The discussion could signal the start of a realignment ahead of the 2027 general election.

Jandor had also met with Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar, both former heads of state, in Minna, Niger State.

Additionally, he visited Atiku Abubakar, a former vice-president, and senior members of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).