Rivers governor declares support for APC’s Rainbow Coalition, says political hostilities in the state are over.
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has declared his support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid and the governorship ambition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in Rivers State, Kingsley Chinda, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Fubara made the declaration on Wednesday during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Riven Medical Industries Project in Port Harcourt, describing the move as part of efforts to sustain peace and political unity in the state.
The governor said he had aligned with the Rainbow Coalition, a political group championed by his predecessor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to advance the interests of the APC in Rivers State.
“We have made peace in the state, and I’m supporting our Rainbow Coalition. President Bola Tinubu is our President, and is the one we are supporting. OK Chinda is the governorship candidate that I am supporting,” Fubara said.
He urged his supporters to back all candidates presented by the coalition, stressing that the era of political conflict in the state was over.
“The time of war is over. It is time for peace, and this peace is taking us to another level,” he added.
Fubara also dismissed speculations that he was backing any political group outside the coalition, insisting that he would not support anything capable of creating disunity in Rivers State.
The political crisis between Fubara and Wike began in late 2023 over a power struggle that led to divisions within the Rivers State House of Assembly and an impeachment threat against the governor. The crisis escalated in 2025 when President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the state and suspended Fubara, his deputy and members of the State Assembly. Although the suspension was later lifted, political tensions persisted.
Speaking on the Riven Medical Industries Project, Fubara described it as a major boost for the state’s economy and healthcare sector. He urged the investors to deliver on their commitments and complete the first phase of the project within three months.
The project, a public-private partnership between the Rivers State Government and Enbay Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, is expected to manufacture pharmaceutical products locally, create jobs, attract investments and reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported medicines.