Tensions Flare as Wike, Fubara Supporters Clash at Port Harcourt Town Hall mm

A heated confrontation broke out in Port Harcourt yesterday during a town hall meeting as supporters of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara clashed publicly, highlighting the deepening political crisis in the state.

The gathering, attended by loyalists from both camps along with concerned citizens, quickly turned volatile when Bright Amaewhule, President General of the Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI), made pointed remarks crediting his group with Fubara’s rise to the governorship. “Before the campaign proper, we moved Sim from one local government to another, not the honorable minister,” Amaewhule said. He claimed that GDI played a pivotal role in building support for Fubara, even when he was allegedly rejected by his own community and later surrounded by people advising him to disregard his political roots.

Amaewhule’s comments drew immediate protest from Hilda Dokubo, Chair of the Labour Party in Rivers State, who rose from her seat to object, stating: “I cannot sit here and listen to this.” Organisers quickly intervened and persuaded her to return to her seat, averting an early disruption.

Tensions escalated further when Kenwell Ibanibo responded from the floor, challenging Amaewhule’s narrative. “I’ve heard the GDI Chairman say they supported Sim Fubara to become governor. But I’m asking you, what did he do to warrant the first impeachment attempt after just five months?” Ibanibo accused unnamed individuals of orchestrating the crisis, saying, “Somebody somewhere, who thinks he is the owner of Rivers State, influenced the impeachment.”

The comment sparked a loud outburst from Wike’s supporters, led by factional APC chairman Chibike Ikenga. Verbal exchanges became increasingly hostile, with one Wike loyalist yelling, “Insult Wike now! Una go still beg, una go still come lie down!” Dokubo, now back in the fray, shot back: “Him no go lie down! I say him no go lie down! No be Wike lie down for somewhere so!?”

Attempts by the event anchor and peace advocates like Mr Jake Epelle to calm the room met with limited success, prompting the intervention of security personnel who positioned themselves around the hall as tensions threatened to boil over.

Eventually, Mr Ibanibo agreed to leave the stage voluntarily to restore calm, allowing the meeting to continue. The dramatic scenes underscored the bitter divisions rocking Rivers State politics, with no signs of resolution in sight.