Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has reportedly met key Rivers State political figures in Malaga, Spain, as preparations for the 2027 elections gather pace. Among those said to have attended was the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Kingsley Ogundu Chinda, while Governor Siminalayi Fubara was absent.
Chief Marcus Nle Ejii, Executive Director of Projects and Infrastructural Development at the South South Development Commission, and Senator Mao Ohabunwa, Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, were also said to have participated. The discussions have not been made public, leaving the political significance of the gathering to be assessed against recent developments in Rivers State.
Wike had already made his preference for Chinda clear on September 2 at a reception organised by Ogbakor Ikwerre in Obiri-Ehie. Introducing the former House of Representatives Minority Leader, he said Chinda was, “by the grace of God, the next governor of Rivers State.”
At the same event, Wike linked his Rivers political alignment with his backing for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. “I am supporting our Rainbow Coalition. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is our President, and it is the one we are supporting,” he said, adding that “anybody who believes in me will support every candidate under the Rainbow Coalition.”
Fubara had earlier announced in July that he had returned to the political family associated with Wike. “I am already in the family. I have returned to our family,” the governor said, while calling on supporters to back the alliance and describing the political dispute as a matter that had moved into “a time for peace”.
Fubara has also ruled out seeking another term as governor, removing himself from the 2027 governorship race while leaving Chinda and candidates from other parties to compete for the position he currently holds.
The political rapprochement between Wike and Fubara had produced another significant encounter in August, when the governor visited the FCT minister at his Port Harcourt residence. Fubara arrived with former APC Deputy National Chairman Sam Jaja, while Wike was accompanied by Chinda and former senator Magnus Abe, who chairs the reconciliation committee.
The Malaga gathering therefore comes after both men had taken steps towards ending their political dispute, but Fubara’s absence gives the latest development a different composition. Wike met figures connected to the emerging political arrangement while the governor remained outside the reported discussions.
