Erstwhile Rivers State governor, Dr Peter Odili, has publicly declared his support for Governor Siminalayi Fubara amid the worsening political tension in the state.
Odili’s reassurance comes against the backdrop of growing resistance to moves by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who had declared Fubara’s emergence as governor as a “mistake.”
Addressing the crowd at a public event in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, Odili urged Fubara to remain steadfast, insisting that grassroots sentiment across the state continues to favour him despite the escalating political confrontation.
“Your people are with you, and they have asked me to tell you that you are the political leader of Rivers State,” Odili said.
“Rivers people said that wherever you go, we will go with you. Wherever you stand, we will stand with you. You are standing on firm ground. Stand there and hold on to God.”
His intervention comes as cracks also emerge within the Rivers State House of Assembly, where at least two lawmakers have publicly distanced themselves from the impeachment plot against Fubara, appealing instead for dialogue and political restraint.
The lawmakers’ defection from the hardline camp is being read in political circles as an early sign that the momentum behind the removal bid may be weakening.
Odili’s remarks therefore add to a growing chorus rejecting Wike’s attempt to politically isolate his former ally. Since their public fallout, Wike has repeatedly sought to discredit Fubara’s leadership and reassert control over Rivers politics, a posture that has increasingly drawn resistance from political stakeholders and sections of the public.
