Founder and Chief Executive Officer of TAF Africa, Dr. Jake Epelle, has reacted to the withdrawal of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, from the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election. Epelle spoke during an interview on News Central TV on Thursday, May 21, 2026.
Responding to a question on his reaction to the governor’s withdrawal from the race, Epelle said the development was not entirely unexpected. “Well I’ll start by saying that it wasn’t very surprising to me. However, what is most surprising is a deeper dive and reflection of what our democracy is turning out to be,” he said.
He further criticized what he described as the increasing influence of political godfatherism and the conduct of some politicians in the country. “The godfatherism and the recklessness of politicians and people that don’t have the heart of the people. It’s funny that this is happening in my dear state and unfortunately the political juggernauts have refused to listen to the voice of the people,” he stated.
Epelle also described Governor Fubara’s decision to withdraw from the primary as a calculated political move aimed at avoiding humiliation. “The other unfortunate thing is the sitting governor who decided to just back out. I was really reflecting this morning on his decision to back out and I see someone that is trying to avoid a booby trap, a political booby trap,” he said.
According to him, the political structure in the state had already been arranged against the governor. “They’ve set up all the missionaries to disgrace him. Make sure that the system capture that the honorable minister have succeeded in creating in River State would have rigged him out. So I think he made a strategic decision and a strategic move to pull out instead of going to the kangaroo polls and be disgraced,” Epelle added.
The activist further linked the situation in Rivers State to broader national political concerns, saying the issue could have implications for the 2027 elections.
“And what this pertains to 2027 will be a conversation that we will have on your program because unfortunately I stand here to say or I sit here to say that the president didn’t do well. He’s actually responsible for this. And this is a slap on the river’s people and a strategic move to twat the wheel of the people,” he said.
Epelle also alleged that the political crisis in Rivers State was largely fueled by loyalists of former governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, alongside members of the State House of Assembly.
“There had been relatively peace in River State and if there was no peace it’s because the camp of Wike and the sitting members of the assembly, you made life miserable for River’s people,” he stated….See More
