Society
3 Traditional Rulers Giving Fubara Unshaking Backing In Fight With Wike
as he garners increasing support from stakeholders
Embattled Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, continues to strengthen his hold on power and the politics of Rivers State as he garners increasing support from stakeholders.
Among the growing army of backers, three traditional rulers stand out for their unwavering loyalty to the embattled governor in his raging feud with Nyesom Wike, the estranged godfather who nearly ended his tenure before it began.
The traditional rulers are:
Eze Wodo is the Eze Oha Apara IV of Apara Kingdom and the Chairman of the Rivers State Traditional Rulers’ Council. He has unrelentingly used his position to rally his colleagues in support of Fubara, both behind closed doors and in public.
The Eze recently underscored his staunch support for the governor by leading a delegation to the Rivers State Government House in Port Harcourt, where a “royal vote of confidence” was passed on Fubara’s administration to re-emphasize their backing of his government.
Another traditional ruler firmly in Fubara’s corner in the raging quarrel with Wike, which has split the Rivers State House of Assembly, is the Nye Nwe-Ali Elele Okinali/Elele-Alimini in Ikwerre Local Government Area, His Majesty Marcus Woyike.
His support for Fubara is widely regarded as one of the strategic endorsements weakening Wike’s influence, given their shared ethnic ties as Ikwerre kinsmen. While Woyike is from Ikwerre Local Government Area, Wike, the immediate past Governor of Rivers State, hails from Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.
Rounding off the list is Ndamzi Nsirim, the traditional ruler of Wike’s hometown, Rumuepirikom, in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.
Recently officially recognized as a royal father in the state by the Fubara administration, talks in the state suggest that the Nye Nwe-Eli Rumuepirikom stands with Fubara while continuing to advocate for peace due to the delicate position the political feud has placed him in.
Checks revealed that with these three traditional rulers at the helm, the influence and popularity of the governor continue to grow within their circles and beyond.
