‘If you are impeached, you are finished,’ Fayose warns Fubara, says Tinubu won’t sacrifice Wike

Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, has warned Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, that impeachment would effectively end his political career, insisting that President Bola Tinubu would not sacrifice the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to save him.

Fayose gave the warning during an interview on ARISE Television on Tuesday while commenting on the deepening political crisis in Rivers State and the impeachment proceedings initiated against Fubara by the State House of Assembly.

According to Fayose, Wike remains politically more valuable to President Tinubu than Fubara, making it unrealistic for the Rivers governor to expect presidential intervention against the FCT minister.

“The Asiwaju I know will not get rid of Wike for Fubara,” Fayose said. “Wike came from Rivers to support President Tinubu, and that loyalty matters.”

He argued that Wike’s relevance to the President is anchored on his performance in office and his ability to deliver electoral victories for the All Progressives Congress.

“Wike is performing in Abuja. We’ve never had it so good in the FCT,” he said. “The APC won the local government elections in Rivers because of Wike, and the party will also win in Abuja. So what else does the President want from him?”

Fayose said Fubara’s decision to escalate the crisis instead of pursuing reconciliation reflected political misjudgment, urging the governor to adopt humility and seek peace.

“If you are impeached, you are finished,” he warned. “The moment you are impeached, you are out of the way politically. You can’t contest again.”

He advised Fubara to “climb down from his high horse” and make amends with Wike, stressing that political leadership often extends beyond holding constitutional office.

“There is a difference between the office and being the political leader,” Fayose said. “Who gave you the platform to become governor? Even if Wike says he is the leader, it is not for Fubara to be contesting that.”

The former governor cautioned that those encouraging Fubara to confront Wike would abandon him if his position became threatened.

“People who push you to fight will disappear when trouble comes,” he said. “I’ve been there before.”

Fayose also dismissed claims that President Tinubu was responsible for the internal crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, describing the opposition party’s problems as self-inflicted.

“The PDP caused its own crisis,” he said. “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

The warning comes as the Rivers State House of Assembly moves ahead with impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara, accusing him of gross misconduct, including the demolition of the Assembly complex, extra-budgetary spending, and defiance of a Supreme Court ruling on legislative autonomy.

The impeachment move is the latest development in a protracted feud between Fubara and his predecessor, Wike, a power struggle that has plunged Rivers State into political uncertainty since late 2023.