FACT CHECK: Did Vice-President Shettima tell Wike that Fubara is Rivers APC leader?

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There is a viral claim that Nigeria’s Vice-President Kashim Shettima “recently” told the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, that Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State is the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

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The claim appeared on various news websites and blogs, including FreedomOnline, NewsReelDaily, and Nairaland, as well as several other sites and social media pages.

Additionally, most of the reports in which the claim appeared were published within the week, giving the impression that Mr Shettima’s comment was recent.

In one of the Facebook posts on the issue, titled “Vice President Shettima warned Wike over APC affairs,” the Facebook user claimed Mr Shettima was addressing Mr Wike after the FCT minister held a press conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The Facebook user, as also reported in news websites and blogs, suggested that Mr Shettima told Mr Wike that, like other governors in their parties, Governor Fubara is the leader of the APC in Rivers.

As of the time of filing this report, the Facebook post garnered over 120 likes and 85 comments. At least 16 people have re-shared the posts at the time.

“We all know that Wike is the de facto leader of APC in Rivers State. He controls the state assembly and the local government areas,” one of the commenters, Kayode Oguntuase, wrote.

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“It’s a mere question of protocol to describe Fubara as the leader.”

Context

There has been a debate about who is the leader of the APC in Rivers State following the recent defection of Mr Fubara from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.

The governor recently declared himself the leader of the APC in the South-southern state.

In response, Mr Wike dismissed the comments from Governor Fubara that he has become the leader of the APC in Rivers following his recent defection to the ruling party.

Despite being a member of the PDP, the FCT minister suggested that he, not Mr Fubara, is the leader of the APC in the South-southern state.

The argument over who is the APC leader in Rivers is understandable when examined alongside the current political tension in Rivers and the belief that Mr Fubara would seek a second term as governor, which is unacceptable to Mr Wike and his followers.

The political tension followed Mr Wike’s allegations that Mr Fubara had reneged on the fresh peace deal brokered between them by President Bola Tinubu. There are unverified reports that part of the agreement between the two politicians was that the governor should not seek re-election in 2027.

What Shettima truly said

Mr Shettima, while welcoming Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State into the APC in Enugu, declared him the leader of the party in the state.

“As for the APC convention and constitution, the governor is the leader of the party in the state,” he said.

Turning to Governor Mbah, the vice-president said, “You are now the leader of the APC family in Enugu State.”

He continued: “I am the vice-president (from Borno), but the leader of the APC in Borno State is Governor Babagana Zulum.

“The President of the Senate (Godswill Akpabio) is the number three citizen (of Nigeria from Akwa Ibom), but the leader of the party in Akwa Ibom State is Governor Umo Eno.

“The Speaker of the House of Representatives is the number four citizen (of Nigeria from Kaduna State), but the leader of the party in Kaduna is Senator Uba Sani, the governor of Kaduna State.”

Verification

Checks by PREMIUM TIMES showed that although Mr Shettima stated that governors who are members of the APC are the leaders of the party in their states, he was not addressing Mr Wike or Governor Fubara, nor was he discussing matters related to the current debate about who is the APC leader in Rivers.

The vice-president did not at any time during the address mention Mr Wike’s name or that of Governor Fubara or even Rivers State.

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In fact, this newspaper confirmed that the vice-president made the comment when he and other APC leaders welcomed Governor Mbah of Enugu into the party on 14 October 2025.

Meanwhile, Governor Fubara only defected from the PDP to the APC on 9 December 2025, two months after Mr Shettima made the comment.

Verdict – It’s false

Therefore, the suggestion or claim that Mr Shettima was telling Mr Wike that Governor Fubara is the leader of the APC in Rivers is false.