Fubara endorses APC’s Chinda for Rivers governorship, declares support for coalition

Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has endorsed the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kingsley Chinda, ahead of the state’s governorship election, declaring his support for the political coalition backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

Fubara made the declaration on Wednesday during the commissioning of the Rivers Medical Industries Project in Port Harcourt, saying the political crisis in the state had been resolved and that he had fully reunited with his political family.

“We have made peace in the state, and we have a total agreement. I am supporting our rainbow party, our rainbow coalition. President Bola Tinubu is our president and is the one we are supporting.

“OK Chinda is the governorship candidate that I am supporting, and anybody who believes in me will support him and every candidate under the rainbow. I have gone back to our family,” the governor said.

He urged his supporters to throw their weight behind the coalition, insisting there was nothing left to negotiate following the reconciliation.

Chinda emerged as the APC governorship candidate in May after winning the party’s primary as the sole aspirant. Fubara had initially participated in the race but later withdrew, saying his decision was made in the interest of peace and unity in Rivers State.

The endorsement comes months after a prolonged political rift between Fubara and Wike, which led to attempts by lawmakers loyal to the FCT minister to impeach the governor before both camps eventually reached a political truce.

The reconciliation also followed the disqualification of several of Fubara’s allies from the APC state House of Assembly primaries, while aspirants aligned with Wike were cleared to contest.