The All Progressives Congress (APC) has clarified that Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State was neither disqualified nor forced out of its governorship primaries, insisting that he voluntarily withdrew after scaling the party’s screening process.
APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, stated this on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
Yilwatda said Fubara duly purchased the party’s nomination forms, appeared before the screening committee and was cleared to contest but shockingly decided to step down ahead of the primaries,
He maintained that the governor’s withdrawal was entirely a personal decision.
“He pulled out; he stepped down. It is personal to him.
“He bought the forms, came for screening, passed the screening, and we were waiting for the primaries before he opted to step down,” Yilwatda stated.
The APC chairman also dismissed claims that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, influenced the process or played any role in Fubara’s withdrawal from the race.
Asked whether Wike had a hand in the Rivers APC primary, Yilwatda maintained that the former Rivers governor was not even a member of the ruling party.
“Wike is not in our party. He is in PDP,” he said.
Recall that Fubara had earlier announced his withdrawal from the APC governorship primary, saying the decision was taken in the interest of peace, stability and unity of the state ahead of the election next year.
“Let it be clearly understood that I stepped aside from participating in the upcoming River’s state Gubernatorial election not out of weakness, fear, or surrender, but out of conviction and sacrifice so that Rivers State may move forward in peace and unity and I remain committed to serving the good people of Rivers state till the end of my term,” Fubara said.
Reacting to the development on Monday, Wike mocked Fubara’s withdrawal from the APC governorship race and threw his full weight behind the emergence of House of Representatives member Kingsley Chinda as the party’s candidate.
The former Rivers State Governor gave the reaction while addressing reporters during an inspection tour of major infrastructure projects across Abuja.
He revealed that a secret political pact brokered by President Bola Tinubu had underpinned the entire drama, disclosing that Fubara agreed to abandon his second-term ambition in exchange for the dropping of impeachment threats against him by the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“By collecting the form first, he didn’t show signs of gentlemanship. He didn’t show that sign, and that was not expected.
“We thought that Mr President had been intervening severally and pleading with the legislature not to continue with impeachment,” Wike said.
