Daniel Bwala, a Special Adviser on Policy Communication to Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has said Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara is the recognised leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nigeria’s ruling party, in Rivers State, an oil-producing state in southern Nigeria’s Niger Delta region.
Bwala made the comment during an interview on Hard Copy, a political programme on Channels Television, a major Nigerian broadcast news station, on Thursday, 22 January 2026, as tensions continued in Rivers State over a political dispute that has led the Rivers State House of Assembly, the state’s lawmaking body, to begin impeachment steps against the governor.
He said the APC’s national leadership had already stated its position, insisting that former Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike is not part of the party and therefore cannot speak for it. Wike currently serves as Nigeria’s Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which oversees Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
Bwala said the party’s national chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, had made it clear that the governor leads the party’s structure in the state.
“In Rivers State, Governor Fubara is the leader of the APC in Rivers State,” Bwala said, adding that since Wike is not a member of the APC, “he cannot speak for the APC.”
Bwala argued that Wike could be described as a key figure within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), one of Nigeria’s biggest political parties, because he previously governed the state and the party does not currently have a sitting governor there. However, he maintained that within the APC, the recognised leader in Rivers is Governor Fubara.
On the impeachment moves, Bwala said the party’s expectation is that Fubara should be allowed to carry out his responsibilities without interference. He also claimed that there were court orders stopping the impeachment process and said the party did not support any action that would prevent the governor from running the government.
“There have been orders of court that stopped impeachment,” he said. “Nobody should stop Fubara from governing the state.”
Bwala further said President Tinubu supports internal party processes and the rule of law, and that the President backs the APC leadership’s position on who leads the party in Rivers State.
He also stressed that Wike’s position as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory does not give him authority within the APC, describing the minister as someone working for the Federal Government rather than directing the party.
“The President believes in compensating people, but not at the expense of the interest of Nigeria,” Bwala said. “He will give you latitude and privilege, but not at the expense of what is right.”
Bwala called on political actors in the state to follow constitutional and legal processes, adding that the APC’s recognition of Fubara as the party leader in Rivers State should settle the internal dispute.
The report said Fubara joined the APC in December 2025 after leaving the Peoples Democratic Party and has already been endorsed for a second term in 2027.
It also said lawmakers in the Rivers State House of Assembly recently began impeachment proceedings against Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, citing alleged gross misconduct. The allegations listed include claims of financial mismanagement and breaches of constitutional requirements.