Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has formally declared his support for the Rainbow Coalition backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, while endorsing the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Kingsley Chinda, as his preferred successor.
Fubara made the declaration yesterday during the commissioning of the Rivers Medical Industries Project in Port Harcourt, saying that political peace had returned to the state, following the resolution of the prolonged rift between him and his predecessor.
“We have made peace in the state and we have a total agreement,” the governor said.
He urged his supporters to align with the coalition, declaring President Bola Tinubu as the political leader they would support.
“I am supporting our rainbow party, our rainbow coalition. President Bola Tinubu is our president and is the one we are supporting.
“OK Chinda is the governorship candidate that I am supporting and anybody who believes in me will support him and every candidate under the rainbow,” Fubara stated.
The governor also dismissed speculation that he or his supporters still had unresolved political interests outside the coalition.
“For those of you saying, ‘Fubara, let’s stay, we want to collect something before we run,’ there is nothing to collect. I am already in the family. I have gone back to our family. So please, wherever you are, give your total support to that coalition,” he added.
Chinda, a former Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, emerged as the APC governorship candidate after securing 268,497 votes as the sole contestant in the party’s primary election in May.
Fubara had initially participated in the APC governorship screening alongside Chinda but later withdrew from the race, explaining that his decision was motivated by his commitment to peace, unity and political stability in Rivers State.
The development marks a significant turning point in Rivers politics after months of intense rivalry between Fubara and Wike, whose loyalists in the State House of Assembly had previously initiated impeachment proceedings against the governor.
Following reconciliation efforts, both political camps reached a truce, paving the way for renewed cooperation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Fubara’s public endorsement of Chinda and the Rainbow Coalition is expected to reshape the political landscape in Rivers State, signalling a united front among former rivals as preparations intensify for the next electoral cycle.
Credit: The Sun