The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed suggestions that he had prior knowledge of any difficulties allegedly encountered by Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara during the All Progressives Congress (APC) screening exercise in the state.
Speaking while inspecting ongoing infrastructure projects in Abuja on Monday, Wike stated that he had no involvement in the APC screening process in Rivers and could not comment on matters outside his own political party.
The former Rivers governor emphasised that he was neither a member of the APC nor part of the committee responsible for screening aspirants ahead of the party primaries.
According to him, Fubara never informed him of any challenge connected to the exercise, adding that both of them belong to different political camps.
Wike also dismissed claims that he should have been aware of developments surrounding the process, saying he was “not a prophet or native doctor” capable of knowing what others were going through behind the scenes.
He maintained that the APC remained responsible for its internal affairs and said he saw no reason to interfere or speculate on issues that did not directly concern him.
The minister added that if the party eventually released the outcome of its primaries, there would be no basis for him to make further comments on the matter.
The controversy followed Governor Fubara’s appearance before the APC screening panel for governors, chaired by the party’s National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda. The governor reportedly left the venue without addressing journalists.
Fubara had earlier failed to appear before the panel on Saturday, which was originally scheduled as the final day for screening governors seeking re-election tickets and second-term governors interested in senatorial contests.
However, Yilwatda later explained that the governor’s absence was not unusual, noting that some governors were permitted to appear on Sunday due to official engagements in their states.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State House of Assembly Screening Committee of the APC reportedly disqualified 32 aspirants believed to be loyal to Fubara, including former factional Speaker Victor Oko-Jumbo and two other lawmakers aligned with the governor.
In contrast, the committee cleared 29 serving lawmakers said to be loyal to Wike, led by Deputy Speaker Dumle Maol, to participate in the party’s primaries ahead of the 2027 Rivers State House of Assembly election.
