Godfatherism: Rivers, Kano in Political Turmoil as Kwankwaso, Wike Battle Governors

Some state governors who are running for reelection are currently encountering difficulties ahead of the 2027 general elections due to disagreements with their political godfathers.

Before 2027, some governors, particularly those from opposition parties, sought refuge in the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal administration, but their godfathers were left behind.

Following their choices to join the APC, Siminalayi Fubara, the governor of Rivers State, and Abba Yusuf, the governor of Kano State, had a falling out with their political godfathers.

Their reelection campaign is in jeopardy due to the face-off, as the godfathers have pledged to continue being a roadblock.

According to reports, Governor Abba Yusuf is fighting his estranged godfather, Rabiu Kwankwaso, the leader of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), while Governor Fubara is engaged in a feud with Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike.

Yusuf vs. Kwankwaso

Rabiu Kwankwaso, the NNPP’s 2023 presidential candidate, and Governor Abba Yusuf recently had a falling out over the governor’s choice to join the ruling party.

According to reports, the governor’s advisers and members of the State House of Assembly have confirmed that he intends to defect from the NNPP to the APC, even though he has not yet made a public announcement about it.

Due to the overwhelming support of the Kwankwassiyya Movement, which was led by the leader of the NNPP, Governor Yusuf clearly won the 2023 gubernatorial election.

Yusuf’s choice to leave the NNPP has resulted in the withdrawal of the assistance.

It was learned over the weekend that a number of the NNPP leader’s supporters who are now working under Governor Yusuf are expected to step down.

Insiders claim that Mustapha Kwankwaso, the Kano State commissioner for youth and sport, will be leaving his position ahead of the governor’s impending defection.

It was also revealed that as soon as Kwankwaso joins the ruling party, at least seven more of his supporters will remove him from the governor’s cabinet.

This is despite reports that the NNPP has started looking for Yusuf’s successor in advance of the 2027 election.

Fubara v. Wike

Siminalayi Fubara, the governor of Rivers, has at least three disagreements with his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, since the general election in 2023.

The governor’s decision to go with the ruling party and his purported decision to back out of a claimed deal that President Bola Tinubu arranged between them during the State of Emergency in Rivers are what gave rise to the most recent conflict between the two.

According to accounts, the governor signed an agreement during the peace pact not to seek for a second term, however the agreement was not made public.

But since he defected to the ruling party, there have been indications that the governor is prepared to be re-elected, with the support of prominent APC figures.

In an effort to retake control of the state’s political system before 2027, Wike spent 17 days in Rivers State touring its 23 Local Government Areas.

The former governor declared that Governor Fubara would not be re-elected, citing the possibility that the governor’s return in 2027 would put an end to his (Wike) political career.

The plan to impeach

The governor and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, are being impeached by members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who support the FCT Minister and are not waiting till 2027 to do it.

Alleging egregious misbehavior, the assembly served the governor and his deputy with an impeachment notice on Thursday.

Focusing on Fubara’s purported unwillingness to submit the 2026 budget to the legislature, they charged the governor with misusing Rivers State funds.

Sydney Gbara, the immediate former publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, claimed in an interview that the National Assembly cleared the 2025 budget during the emergency rule and called the impeachment process an unneeded diversion.

“It’s an unnecessary distraction in the state because you will start to question the motive behind an action that keeps happening without any justification,” he stated.

“The National Assembly enacted the 2025 budget in June of last year during the emergency rule, and Mr. President assented to it. This is one of the main accusations made by the assembly members against the governor.

“Every budget has a one-year lifespan, so the National Assembly’s budget will be in effect until July of this year.”

He claims that Governor Fubara is unable to represent a budget that has already been approved and approved by the president.