APC Sweeps Rivers LG Polls As Wike Consolidates Grip; Fubara, Loyalists Conspicuously Uninvolved

- By Nwafor Oji Awala

The political chessboard in Rivers State took a dramatic turn over the weekend as they All Progressives Congress (APC), riding on the formidable structure of the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, swept the August 30 local government elections.

According to results released on Sunday by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), the APC clinched victory in 20 local government areas, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secured only three LGAs: Obio/Akpor, Port Harcourt City, and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni.

Notably, these three strongholds align with Wike’s home base and his long-standing political machinery.

Among the landslide victories, Khana LGA recorded 156,027 votes for APC candidate Bariere Thomas, while Emohua and Etche candidates secured 114,380 and 100,649 votes respectively. Oyigbo, Gokana, and Ahoada West also produced overwhelming wins for the APC.

On the PDP side, Obio/Akpor, where Wike cast his ballot, posted the highest single tally of the exercise with 328,823 votes for Gift Worlu. Port Harcourt City followed with 235,054, while ONELGA gave Shedrack Ogbogu 51,051 votes.

The outcome paints a picture of careful political calibration, 20 seats to APC and three to PDP, an arrangement many observers say reflects a pre-determined sharing formula orchestrated by Wike’s political camp.

What raised eyebrows, however, was the conspicuous absence of suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his loyalists during the polls.

Despite initial assurances that he would cast his vote in Ward 5, Opobo/Nkoro LGA, Fubara neither appeared at the polling unit nor returned to his hometown for the exercise. Sources confirmed he had travelled to London ahead of the election.

His key allies, including Chief of Staff Edison Ehie, Secretary to the State Government Tammy Danagogo, and the sacked 23 council chairmen, were also missing in action. Members of the “Simplified Movement,” a socio-political group loyal to Fubara, were absent from voting centres across the state.

This boycott further underlined the deep cracks within Rivers’ political establishment. While Wike’s Renewed Hope Agenda bloc celebrated, Fubara’s silence cast uncertainty over his future relevance in the state’s political equation.

Addressing journalists after voting at his Obio/Akpor stronghold, Wike expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the polls, praising RSIEC and thanking Rivers people for their turnout.

He dismissed fears of legal challenges, insisting the election was held “according to law” and contrasting it with what he described as “non-elections” previously annulled by the Supreme Court.

Wike also linked the exercise to President Tinubu’s push for grassroots stabilization, noting that elected councils would now directly access federal allocations.

Observers interpret Wike’s remarks as a dual message: reassurance to Abuja of his stabilizing influence in Rivers, and a veiled reminder to his estranged protégé, Fubara, of who truly holds the reins of power.

The LGA elections, though local in scope, have national reverberations. With Wike’s faction sweeping nearly the entire state, the polls cement his dominance ahead of the lifting of emergency rule in September, when Fubara and the State Assembly are expected to be restored.

For the PDP, the results expose its weakened presence outside Wike’s immediate enclaves, raising questions about its capacity to mount credible opposition in the state. For APC, it signifies an unusual situation where the party’s local strength is not organically its own but driven by Wike’s structure operating under its banner.

Fubara’s absence, meanwhile, is telling. Whether strategic or a sign of political retreat, it leaves his loyalists and supporters without a clear direction. His silence has only deepened speculation about his ability, or willingness, to challenge Wike’s stranglehold on Rivers politics when he returns.

The just-concluded local government polls have reaffirmed what many already suspected: Rivers State politics remains firmly in the grip of Nyesom Wike. While the APC may have formally taken 20 LGAs, it is Wike’s enduring political machine that is the true winner.

As Rivers awaits the reinstatement of Governor Fubara, the central question is whether he will continue to sidestep the battlefield or confront the realities of a political structure that has left him visibly isolated.

(c) Nwafor Oji Awala 

Writing from Eleme Rivers State