Fubara to supporters: Wike remains your leader in Rainbow Coalition

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Tuesday warned members of his Simplified Movement who had joined the Rainbow Coalition that he was not their leader, insisting that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, remained their leader.

Fubara made the statement during the official unveiling of the Rainbow Coalition at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

The event brought together political stakeholders from the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), Action Alliance (AA), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and other groups under the coalition founded by Wike to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election and other candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Addressing the gathering, Fubara urged his former support base to fully align with the coalition’s leadership structure.

“I’m not your leader. Wike is your leader,” Fubara declared, clarifying his position on members of the Simplified Movement now operating within the Rainbow Coalition.

The governor, who had earlier publicly declared his return to his political family and endorsed the coalition, reiterated that the era of political conflict in the state was over.

He called for full support for the coalition’s candidates, including APC governorship hopeful Kingsley Chinda, popularly known as OK Chinda, and stressed the need for unity to advance the interests of Rivers State.

The Rainbow Coalition’s unveiling ceremony featured the formal presentation of preferred candidates across party lines for the 2027 elections, with organisers describing the platform as a vehicle for peace, progress and credible elections in the state.

Fubara’s remarks come amid ongoing efforts to consolidate reconciliation between his camp and Wike’s political structure following previous tensions in Rivers State politics.

The gathering of different political parties under one umbrella to pursue the common goal of securing President Tinubu’s re-election further underscored the coalition’s stated objective of strengthening support for the President and consolidating Wike’s political influence ahead of the 2027 elections.