Wike Now Supports Emergency Rule He Once Opposed as Rivers Governor

Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former governor of Rivers State, has come under public scrutiny for endorsing the same emergency rule in Rivers he fiercely resisted during his time as governor.

In a recent interview with Channels Television, Wike voiced support for President Bola Tinubu’s March 18 declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers and the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara. “As a politician, I am not happy. I wanted actual removal of the governor but, for the interest of the state, the president did the right thing,” he said.

But Wike’s support for the emergency rule has sparked accusations of hypocrisy, as many Nigerians recall his vehement opposition to similar moves during his own administration.

A video clip dated December 23, 2016, has resurfaced online, showing Wike condemning what he described as federal attempts to instigate a crisis in Rivers to justify emergency rule. In the five-minute video, originally posted on his official Facebook page, Wike addressed the Rivers State Elders Council of Ministers (RISECOM), saying, “Why do you think you will cause a crisis in the state to declare a state of emergency and then put who you want to put in? It’s unacceptable. That’s not democracy.”

At the time, the Department of State Services (DSS) had accused Wike of backing a protest in Abuja over the conduct of the Rivers rerun elections. Wike responded by accusing federal agencies of engineering a security crisis in order to unseat him. “Nobody can cow me. I will never participate in anything illegal,” he said. “You can’t take this state by force… not by using all these tactics to deal with the governor.”

Fast forward to 2025, and Wike is defending the same tactics he once denounced—fueling criticism that his current position is politically motivated. The fallout between Wike and Fubara, his former ally and handpicked successor, is well documented. Their relationship deteriorated after Fubara began asserting independence in office, leading to a political standoff that culminated in a High Court ruling restraining Wike-loyal lawmakers from functioning.

In 2024, Wike publicly stated that backing Fubara was a mistake, vowing it would be corrected “at the appropriate time.” A year later, Fubara was suspended from office.

Following the emergency declaration, Wike has also lashed out at critics of the move, including the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), which described it as illegal and unconstitutional. His response only deepened concerns about his shifting principles.

On social media, Nigerians have not held back. “Guess who is championing the same thing he spoke against in 2016?” wrote @jmbasseyy on X. Another user, @lifumlukumi, added: “Imagine promoting what you once preached against because it is favouring you.”

Wike’s reversal has left many questioning whether his support for emergency rule is about the rule of law—or simply political expediency.