Wike’s Masterclass: How the FCT Minister Dribbled Rivers Politics to Crown Chinda as APC Governorship Candidate

In a stunning political masterstroke, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike has once again demonstrated why he remains the most influential power broker in Rivers State. Despite being a PDP chieftain, Wike quietly tightened his grip on the All Progressives Congress (APC) structure in Rivers, positioning his loyalist, Hon. Kingsley Ogundu Chinda, as the party’s consensus governorship candidate for the 2027 election.

The drama unfolded dramatically this evening after the APC governorship primaries on May 21, 2026.

Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who had defected to the APC in a bid to secure a second term, along with heavyweights like Tonye Cole and Alabo George-Kelly, suddenly withdrew from the race. What appeared as voluntary exits was widely interpreted as part of a calculated realignment orchestrated through Wike’s influence and alleged high-level understanding with President Bola Tinubu. Chinda, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives and a known Wike ally representing Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency, was left as the clear frontrunner.

Political observers describe the move as classic Wike “dribbling” — keeping multiple options open, maintaining deniability, and striking at the right moment. By clearing the field for Chinda while controlling structures in both PDP and APC through his Rainbow Coalition, Wike has effectively kept Rivers politics under his thumb. As the dust settles on the primaries, many now wonder if this is the ultimate consolidation of Wike’s power ahead of 2027, leaving Fubara’s camp stunned and Rivers voters facing yet another chapter in the state’s unending political chess game.