Port Harcourt witnessed serious political tension on Friday as supporters of FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and suspended Rivers Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, clashed during a heated town hall meeting. The event, expected to promote peace, turned chaotic as loyalists on both sides exchanged hot words and disrupted the flow of the meeting. The Wike, Fubara supporters clash in Port Harcourt town hall drama quickly became the center of political discussions in the state.
Town Hall Turns Battle Ground: Wike, Fubara Supporters Clash in Port Harcourt
What was meant to be a peaceful gathering of Rivers stakeholders quickly spiraled into a shouting match as Bright Amaewhule, President-General of the Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI), made statements that didn’t sit well with some attendees.
“There’s no indigene of Rivers State that will not recognize the role GDI played in the emergence of Sim Fubara as governor,” Amaewhule boldly claimed. “We moved Sim from one local government to another, not the honorable minister.”
He went further to say that Fubara’s current problems began when certain individuals “who now came around him after he had become governor” urged him to abandon the political party that brought him to power. These statements triggered a reaction from Hilda Dokubo, the Labour Party Chairman, who stormed out of the hall shouting, “I can’t sit here and listen to this.”
Despite appeals from organizers, tensions only simmered beneath the surface. Ann-Kio Briggs, a well-known Niger Delta activist, had her own moment of confrontation when she was interrupted mid-speech and snapped, “If I don’t speak for you, I speak for myself.”
Blame Game and Power Play
Kenwell Ibanibo added fuel to the fire when he openly challenged Amaewhule’s narrative, saying:
“I’ve heard the GDI Chairman say they supported Sim Fubara to become governor, but I’m asking, what did he do to warrant the first impeachment attempt after just 5 months?”
He then accused an unnamed political godfather of orchestrating the impeachment attempt, implying it was Wike. Supporters of the FCT Minister led by factional APC Chairman, Chibike Ikenga, took offense and erupted in protest.“You spoke, I didn’t interrupt you,” Ibanibo insisted, refusing to back down.
Shouts like “insult Wike now! Una go still beg!” echoed through the hall. Hilda Dokubo fired back: “Him no go lie down! I say him no go lie down!” before mocking Wike: “No be Wike lie down for somewhere so!?”
Even the host struggled to control the crowd, while security bouncers moved into position to prevent a physical altercation. Observers say the Wike, Fubara supporters clash in Port Harcourt town hall drama is a reflection of the deep cracks in Rivers State’s fragile political peace.
Wike, Fubara Supporters Clash in Port Harcourt Town Hall Drama
Friday’s incident in Port Harcourt is a clear warning that political tensions in Rivers State are far from over. The Wike, Fubara supporters clash in Port Harcourt town hall drama reveals that beneath the public reconciliation moves, bitter rivalries, ego battles, and power struggles remain very much alive. If the town hall drama is anything to go by, Rivers may be in for more political theatre and possibly more serious clashes, unless genuine dialogue replaces staged peace talks.
