A Daily Post report on Sunday, August 31, 2025, revealed that suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his close allies were conspicuously absent from the state’s local government elections. Fubara, who is expected to resume office on September 18, was reportedly outside the country during the polls.
His top supporters — including Chief of Staff Edison Ehie, Secretary to the State Government Dr. Tammy Danagogo, and other loyalists — also shunned their polling units. In addition, the 23 former local government chairmen earlier sacked by the Supreme Court boycotted the process, a move that cleared the path for candidates loyal to Federal Capital Territory Minister and former governor, Nyesom Wike, to secure dominance.
An anonymous Fubara supporter dismissed the exercise as a “mere formality,” alleging that the results had been predetermined long before voting began. The source explained that Fubara’s absence was linked to international travel, with his return scheduled for early September in line with the conclusion of his suspension.
The development is tied to a peace deal brokered by President Bola Tinubu between Fubara and Wike, which effectively returned political control of Rivers to Wike’s camp. According to insiders, Fubara accepted the arrangement to preserve peace, even at the expense of his own political leverage.
“We knew the winners before the election started. So why do we need to waste our precious time to go and vote? Vote for who?
Most of the things happening today are parts of the agreement Wike and Fubara signed in the presence of Mr President. They have taken the power from the governor,” he said.
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