The Minister of FCT and former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, has openly challenged the Rivers State Government over its alleged refusal to approve the use of the Yakubu Gowon Stadium in Port Harcourt for a political rally, threatening to forcibly take over the facility if approval is denied.
Mr Wike issued the warning while addressing political leaders and coordinators of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors—a political group in support of President Bola Tinubu—during an inauguration ceremony in Port Harcourt, Punch newspaper reported.
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According to Mr Wike, the rally organisers had formally applied to the Rivers State Government for the use of the stadium, but were turned down.
“Next time we apply, and they don’t approve it, we’ll break it by force,” Mr Wike said.
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“Nobody can deny us the use of state facilities… If you refuse to grant approval, we will do the needful, and we will take it by force.”
The remarks mark one of the most forceful public threats by a serving federal minister against a state authority in recent times.
Venue row exposes deep political rift
The rally venue dispute underscores the worsening political relationship between Mr Wike and Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his successor and former political ally.
Since Mr Fubara assumed office in May 2023, the Rivers political space has been engulfed by open rivalry, factional struggles and competing claims to political authority.
Once regarded as Mr Wike’s protégé, Governor Fubara has increasingly asserted independence, triggering resistance from the minister’s loyalists across the state.
The disagreement has since expanded beyond personalities to questions of party control, access to state institutions and public facilities.
Mr Wike’s comments came amid his efforts to project the Renewed Hope family as a cross-party political coalition supporting President Tinubu’s administration, blurring traditional party lines in Rivers State.
Analysts, however, say the latest issue highlights the fragility of such alliances and the persistence of entrenched power struggles.
APC leadership clash
Beyond the rally venue controversy lies a more fundamental dispute over leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers.
Following Governor Fubara’s defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC, the party’s national leadership publicly recognised him as the APC leader in the state, in line with a longstanding party convention that accords sitting governors such status.
Mr Wike has, however, refused to acknowledge Mr Fubara as the APC leader in Rivers, insisting that the control of grassroots structures determines leadership.
In several media engagements, the minister argued that Governor Fubara’s defection alone does not automatically confer leadership of the APC, maintaining that influence, political organisation, and loyalty at the ward and local government levels are decisive.
Background
The current confrontation echoes events from 2023, when Mr Wike, then governor, denied the PDP Presidential Campaign Council access to campaign venues in Rivers State during the general election.
The PDP was forced to cancel its planned presidential rally for Atiku Abubakar after approval for the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium was withdrawn, leaving alternative venues unavailable.
At the time, the PDP cited security concerns, alleged attacks on supporters and interference by state authorities as reasons for the cancellation.
The episode marked a major rupture between Mr Wike and the PDP’s national leadership and signalled his eventual withdrawal of support for Atiku’s presidential bid.
That fallout deepened internal divisions within the PDP in Rivers and reshaped the state’s political alignments ahead of the election.
Political stakes ahead of 2027
Observers say the latest dispute is less about stadium access and more about consolidating influence ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Rivers remains a politically strategic and economically vital state, and control of its political machinery carries national significance.
READ ALSO: ANALYSIS: Calm, Calculated, or Careless? Analysing Fubara’s attitude to Rivers political crisis
Mr Wike’s insistence on using public facilities for Renewed Hope rallies is seen as an attempt to demonstrate continued grassroots relevance and dominance, while Mr Fubara’s resistance reflects efforts to assert authority as the governor and recognised APC leader in the state.
The standoff once again illustrates the intensely personal and confrontational nature of political power struggles in Nigeria’s oil-rich South-south region, where control of space often mirrors control of power.
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