Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has issued a stern warning to his political supporters who are unwilling to align with the Rainbow Coalition, telling them to part ways with him as his decision to return to his political family is final.
​The governor made the declaration on Thursday, November 12, 2026, during an afternoon ceremony in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and leader of the Rainbow Coalition, Nyesom Wike, formally inaugurated the 700-member 2027 All Progressives Congress (APC)/Rainbow Coalition Presidential Campaign Council in the state.
​Addressing party faithful and coalition members at the inauguration, Governor Fubara emphasized that there is no room for double-dealing or divided loyalty among those claiming to stand with him. He urged supporters who were omitted from the initial campaign council list not to feel alienated, noting that sub-committees are still being formed and lists can be updated.
​”We still have sub-committees. The list can also be updated so you don’t have any problems to worry about. The most important thing is to work with your heart sincerely,” Fubara said. “Don’t openly say you’re with me and behold you’re doing a different thing. I’m here, and I say it boldly anywhere, any day. And anybody who says he is not with me, gently go your way.”
​Acknowledging that the reconciliation and new political alignment might be difficult for some of his loyalists to accept following the state’s prolonged political crisis, the governor insisted that the past must be left behind.
​”Don’t go behind and say this is Fubara, no, no, no. I have said it. It might be difficult, but we have gone past that. We are looking at the future and what God holds for us,” he added, expressing confidence that the coalition’s current strategy would yield an electoral performance beyond expectations.
​Speaking earlier while inaugurating the campaign council, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, who serves as the Coordinator of President Bola Tinubu’s campaign in Rivers State charged members to abandon conventional, ceremonial rally-style politics.
Instead, he directed them to take their mobilisation efforts directly to grassroots communities, family meetings, and informal settings such as local markets to convince residents on why President Bola Tinubu should be re-elected in 2027.
​Wike also endorsed Fubara’s projection of delivering three million votes from Rivers State for President Tinubu, stating that the target is achievable through hard work and focus, while urging members to ignore political theatrics from opposition parties. He further disclosed that the campaign structure would soon be cascaded down to the local government level.
​The Rainbow Coalition brings together political actors across party linesprimarily from the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),to work toward President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid and support coalition candidates across the state.
​The alliance marks a decisive resolution to the protracted political feud between Wike and Fubara that erupted in October 2023 over the control of Rivers State’s political structures.
That crisis previously split the Rivers State House of Assembly and culminated in President Tinubu declaring a six-month state of emergency in Rivers State on March 18, 2025, suspending Fubara, his deputy, and lawmakers until their reinstatement on September 18, 2025.
Following his defection from the PDP to the APC in December 2025 and subsequent peace talks in 2026, Fubara withdrew from the 2027 APC governorship race in the interest of peace and endorsed Rt. Hon. Kingsley Chinda as his preferred successor under the coalition.
