Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has revealed that he pushed for the outright removal of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, expressing dissatisfaction over the emergency rule declared instead.

Speaking during a media parley in Abuja on Friday, Wike addressed the deepening political crisis in his home state and the recent decision by President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Rivers.

Under the emergency measure, Governor Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly were suspended for six months, with retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas appointed as sole administrator — a move that has sparked national debate.

Wike, however, said the president’s decision was too lenient:

“As a politician, I am not happy with the declaration of Emergency Rule in Rivers State. I wanted the outright removal of the governor. But for the interest of the state, the president did the right thing to prevent anarchy.”

The former Rivers governor, whose fallout with Fubara has become public, insisted the embattled governor’s tenure had become untenable:

“The governor was gone. He was gone, yes… So when people say the president did this, I say they should be praising him.”

Wike even suggested gratitude was due to President Tinubu for stepping in:

“Every morning, they should go to the president and ask, ‘Can we wash your feet for saving us?’”

His remarks have reignited tensions in the volatile political landscape of Rivers State and raised fresh questions about the federal government’s role in subnational governance and crisis management.