Fubara’s biggest mistake was building own structure — Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s biggest mistake was attempting to build his own political structure shortly after assuming office, instead of consolidating the political support that brought him to power.

Speaking during a media chat in Port Harcourt on Saturday, Wike said he became concerned when Fubara allegedly began creating an independent political structure less than 100 days after taking office.

According to the former Rivers governor, the move signalled that Fubara had distanced himself from the political structure and leaders who supported his emergence as governor.

“In politics, you have to be careful. If you make the mistake of saying you can do it alone and that you don’t need those who supported you, those who never wanted you in office will take advantage of the situation,” Wike said.

He maintained that he left office after laying a solid developmental foundation for the state, expressing hope that his successor would build on it to enable Rivers compete with Lagos in infrastructure and economic development.

Wike cited projects initiated during his administration, including the Port Harcourt Ring Road and the construction of 12 flyovers, which he said transformed the state’s infrastructure and improved the city’s landscape.

He argued that political distractions prevented the continuity of those development plans.

The minister also dismissed claims that he demanded money from Fubara, describing the allegation as a familiar narrative often deployed whenever political allies fall out.

“When politicians disagree, the first allegation is always that someone asked for money. I have never asked him for money,” he said.

Wike questioned the basis of such claims, noting that as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, he oversees an administration with an annual budget of about ₦1.8 trillion.

He said his only expectation was for Fubara to stabilise Rivers State and continue from where his administration stopped.

The FCT minister also highlighted what he described as improved revenue generation in Abuja under his leadership, stating that the FCT’s monthly internally generated revenue had risen from about ₦8 billion to as much as ₦40 billion.

He insisted that Fubara’s political decisions had widened the development gap between Rivers and Lagos, contrary to his vision of positioning Rivers among Nigeria’s leading states.