The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ajibola Basiru, has criticised an APC official for describing Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara as “so-called governor”.
Mr Basiru warned that such language undermines democratic institutions and the dignity of an elected office.
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Mr Basiru was reacting to the remarks by Victor Giadom, the APC Vice Chairman (South-South), who spoke during a political gathering in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State.
“I find it unfortunate that a member of the NWC… was referring to a governor in our party as a ‘so-called governor of Rivers State’,” Mr Basiru said.
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“Even if the governor is not in our party, you can’t refer to an elected governor as a ‘so-called governor’ in order to please anybody.”
What Giadom said
An excerpt from Mr Giadom’s speech in a video posted on Facebook suggests the APC chieftain declared Gokana a political stronghold hostile to Governor Fubara.
“I can reassure you that Gokana is a no-go area for anybody, be it the so-called governor of Rivers State,” he said, drawing applause from the crowd.
Mr Giadom, who hails from Gokana, is an ally of former Rivers governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Basiru’s red line
Mr Basiru insisted that personal loyalties or political allegiances cannot justify verbal delegitimisation of an elected governor.
“The office of the governor is an exalted position, and whoever is occupying it must be respected, irrespective of whatever political differences you have,” he said in a Facebook post on Sunday.
Background: Rivers power feud
Governor Fubara and Mr Wike, once close allies, fell out months after Mr Fubara assumed office, triggering a deep political crisis in Rivers State. The rift has polarised party structures and spilled into national party politics, with both camps mobilising support ahead of the 2027 elections.
Mr Wike, a member of the PDP, is embarking on political tours across Rivers’ 23 local government areas, a move widely interpreted as an effort to block Mr Fubara’s re-election bid.
Endorsement
About a week before the Gokana incident, Mr Basiru led members of the APC National Executive Committee to Port Harcourt, where they publicly endorsed Mr Fubara for a second term — a gesture that does not sit well with Mr Wike’s camp.
At an event in Port Harcourt, Mr Wike, who opposes Governor Fubara’s second-term bid, threw jabs at the members of the APC, saying, “Abuja politicians are only after Rivers’ money.”
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