By Ahmed Akanbi and Olawumi Oyehan
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has formally welcomed the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, back into the Rainbow Coalition, describing it as the only viable path to restoring political unity in the state.
Wike said the reconciliation has ended the prolonged political crisis in Rivers and will strengthen support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
Speaking with journalists on Tuesday after inspecting ongoing infrastructure projects in Abuja, including the ISEX Road Corridor and Apo-Karshi Road, the former Rivers governor said Fubara’s decision to return to the political family that produced him was welcome.
”I said during my last media chat that he had no other choice but to return to the same political family that produced him. I have now been informed that he has made that declaration publicly, and we welcome him.
”Our doors are open. Everybody is welcome to work with us. There is no better alternative. We will work together to move Rivers State forward,” Wike stated.
The reconciliation follows a peace accord brokered by Tinubu, which ended months of hostilities between Wike and Fubara. The crisis had crippled governance, divided the State House of Assembly and triggered series of legal disputes.
Fubara recently confirmed his return to the Rainbow Coalition, a dominant political bloc in Rivers politics founded under Wike’s leadership.
Reacting to suggestions that the governor needed forgiveness to rejoin, Wike dismissed the idea, insisting politics is not about personal grudges.
”I don’t know what you mean by sin. In politics, there is no sin. If somebody realises that he made a mistake and decides to correct it, there is nothing wrong with that. What matters is recognising that you were on the wrong path and making the right decision,” he said.
The FCT minister expressed confidence that the renewed alliance would provide a united platform to deliver Rivers State to the APC in support of Tinubu’s second-term ambition.
”He has publicly declared that he has returned to where he started, and we receive him with an open mind. We will all work together to ensure that we deliver the votes President Tinubu needs for his re-election,” Wike added.
The minister also inspected several ongoing road projects in Abuja and expressed satisfaction with the pace of work, disclosing. that construction on the ISEX Road Corridor commenced shortly after President Tinubu flagged it off during activities marking the administration’s third anniversary, with the contractor expected to deliver by December.
Wike also visited the long-delayed ISEX Road project, originally awarded in 2014, describing it as one of the major inherited projects now nearing completion.