Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has said he would not have become governor without the support of his predecessor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Speaking on Friday night after emerging as New Telegraph’s Man of the Year 2025, Fubara stated that Wike “discovered” him and provided the platform that enabled him to contest and eventually win the governorship.
News Round The Clock (NRTC) reported that Wike and Fubara had been at loggerheads for years over control of the political structure in the state.
Recently, President Bola Tinubu brokered peace between the two leaders, marking the second time he intervened in their protracted dispute.
At the colourful ceremony held at the Oriental Hotel, which attracted dignitaries from across the country, Fubara received the award from veteran journalist and former Governor of Ogun State, Olusegun Osoba.
He was supported on stage by the Chairman of the Board of New Telegraph, Orji Uzor Kalu, and the Governor of Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal.
The governor mounted the stage alongside a retinue of Rivers elders and immediate past members of the State Executive Council, drawing loud applause from the audience.
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Addressing the political crisis that had bedevilled Rivers State in recent years — a situation many critics interpreted as a test of strength and leadership — Fubara described the occasion as deeply significant for him and for those who believed in his leadership.
“And I know that for believing in me, you have borne a share of special pain. Some describe these pains as weakness, while others see them as strength,” he said.
He defended his non-aggressive posture in the face of provocation, insisting that his approach had been both deliberate and strategic.
“I chose for a lot of reasons to be weak. Weak because I want peace. Weak because I need to also protect those things that are dear not just to me but to our dear nation,” he stated.
Fubara maintained that what some perceived as weakness was, in his view, a virtue.
“Continue to believe in what you believe in. Weakness is a virtue. It pays at the right time,” he added, urging his supporters to remain steadfast.
He dedicated the award to God, his immediate family, the people of the state, and his predecessor, Wike, whom he acknowledged as the political leader who discovered and supported him.
In its citation, the newspaper commended Fubara’s resilience, leadership style and commitment to peace amid prolonged political turbulence in the state.
