There Will Be No Peace Between Fubara And His Godfather, Wike - Tonye Cole

Tonye Cole, a former governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State, has asserted that the lingering political rift between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, will not end in peace, insisting that the dispute continues to stall governance and development in the state.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Cole said he remained firmly convinced that the unresolved feud has become the central political problem in Rivers State and continues to drain the state’s energy and focus from meaningful development.

He traced the origin of the crisis to Wike’s decisive role in Fubara’s emergence as governor. According to Cole, Wike deployed his political structure, resources, influence, and personal commitment to ensure Fubara’s victory, pushing the campaign through every stage, including the legal battles that followed the election.

He explained that after Fubara became the governor, Wike felt deeply betrayed because Fubara broke their agreement regarding how power would be exercised.

He noted that the agreement, as widely perceived, limited Fubara’s independence in governance and allegedly ruled out a second-term ambition. Cole maintained that the breakdown of this agreement hardened Wike’s resolve to block Fubara from securing another term.

Although he stressed that Fubara has a constitutional right to seek re-election as a Rivers indigene, he argued that the moral judgment surrounding any broken agreement remains strictly between the two of them.

He emphasized that the conflict is personal and political, adding that only Fubara and Wike can resolve it, even as he expressed doubt that peace would ever come.

In his words, “I am absolutely convinced, in my opinion, there will be no peace between Sim Fubara, the governor of Rivers State, and his godfather, friend, and mentor, Nyesom Wike, Honorable Minister of the Federal Republic. No peace at all.”

“And that fight is what is consuming Rivers State today and what is stopping development in Rivers State. So I don’t see any kind of peace between them.”