A former Acting Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, Robinson Ewor, has alleged that Governor Siminalayi Fubara ceded political control of the state to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, as part of negotiations that ended the prolonged political crisis in the state.
Ewor made the claim during an interview on Arise Television, where he maintained that Fubara had already accepted the terms of a political settlement long before publicly acknowledging his reconciliation with Wike’s camp.
His remarks came a day after Governor Fubara openly declared support for the Rainbow Coalition, a political alliance in Rivers State spearheaded by Wike.
During the groundbreaking ceremony for the reconstruction and equipping of the Rivers Medical Facility, Fubara endorsed President Bola Tinubu for re-election in 2027 and threw his weight behind Kingsley Chinda as his preferred governorship candidate.
He also urged his supporters to back all candidates contesting under the Rainbow Coalition.
The governor said the era of political hostilities in Rivers State was over, stressing that peace and unity had become necessary for the state’s progress.
Reacting to the development, Ewor claimed the governor’s public declaration merely confirmed what insiders had known since the emergency rule negotiations.
According to him, Fubara agreed to hand over political control of all 23 local government areas, key government appointments and state parastatals to Wike’s political camp.
He further alleged that the governor also accepted not to seek a second term in office.
“Everybody from the emergency rule knows that Fubara had already handed over the state to the FCT Minister. What he said publicly only confirmed what had already happened,” Ewor said.
He also alleged that the agreement included the removal of the Chief of Staff and the Secretary to the State Government (SSG).
Ewor faulted the governor for allegedly keeping the details of the agreement away from his loyalists, despite their support throughout the political crisis.
He argued that Fubara should have returned after the negotiations to explain the outcome to his supporters instead of allowing them to continue mobilising politically for future elections.
According to him, many of the governor’s supporters prepared to contest elective offices without knowing that major concessions had already been made behind closed doors.
The former PDP chieftain maintained that the crisis could have been avoided if Fubara had been transparent from the outset about the real issues behind his disagreement with Wike and the Rivers State House of Assembly.
He noted that many Rivers residents rallied behind the governor because they believed Wike was preventing him from effectively governing the state.
Ewor disclosed that after learning about the alleged agreement, he publicly withdrew his support for Fubara and joined the Rainbow Coalition on January 1, insisting that members of the governor’s inner circle were fully aware of the concessions but chose not to inform the public.
He said those who criticised him at the time for abandoning Fubara now have confirmation following the governor’s recent public endorsement of the coalition.
Reaffirming his position, Ewor insisted that Fubara’s latest declaration should not be viewed as a new development, arguing that the governor had effectively surrendered political control during the emergency rule negotiations and only made it public months later.
