As political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections begin to intensify, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is reportedly facing a strategic dilemma over how to secure Rivers State’s crucial block votes.
According to a report by Daily Post, political analysts believe the president has two possible paths: strengthening ties with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, or building an alliance with Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
Although Wike currently serves as a key minister in Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress (APC)–led government, he remains officially affiliated with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Meanwhile, Governor Fubara recently defected from the PDP to the APC, a move widely viewed as an attempt to consolidate his political standing and attract federal support.
Reacting to the situation, Lagos-based PDP chieftain and former member of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council (2023), Adetokunbo Pearse, warned that President Tinubu would be making a mistake by sidelining Governor Fubara.
Pearse stressed that Fubara’s influence at the grassroots level and his control of state political structures make him too important to ignore in any serious 2027 calculations.
He said President Tinubu initially tried to exploit the rift between Wike and Fubara by declaring a state of emergency in Rivers State, but that move has now left both Tinubu and Wike politically stranded.
According to him, the federal government and Wike were forced to use various tactics to pressure Fubara into joining the APC — a move that has not changed the political reality on ground.
Pearse noted that while both Fubara and Wike may now be aligned with the APC in different ways, the people of Rivers State remain loyal to the PDP.
He explained that Fubara was elected by Rivers people on the PDP platform, not by Wike, Tinubu, or the APC, adding that the electorate has not shifted its allegiance despite recent political realignments.
Pearse further argued that Wike has become a political burden, both in Abuja and in Rivers State, accusing him of attempting to dominate the state’s political structure while simultaneously undermining Tinubu’s authority.
“If I were the president, I would certainly go with Fubara,” Pearse said, adding that Fubara is the only major political figure in Rivers State with a direct mandate from the people following the 2023 elections.
He also suggested that the ongoing political tension in Rivers State signals the collapse of the alliance between Tinubu and Wike, noting that Wike has allegedly abandoned his FCT responsibilities to fuel political unrest back home.
Pearse concluded that regardless of internal party maneuvers, the APC is unlikely to win Rivers State in 2027, insisting that the people are not fully aligned with either political camp.