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Claim: A Facebook page, Agozi Comedy, claims that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, publicly embarrassed Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara for allegedly disrespecting him.
Verdict: False. No verifiable evidence supports the claim that Wike publicly disgraced Fubara.
Full Text
The political rift between Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, and Siminalayi Fubara began shortly after Fubara was sworn in as Governor of Rivers State in May 2023.
Initially, Fubara was regarded as Wike’s political protégé, with Wike playing a pivotal role in securing the PDP governorship ticket for him and leading his campaign efforts. However, tensions between them escalated and became a widely reported political crisis. Wike has openly declared that he no longer supports Governor Fubara and has set conditions for any possible reconciliation.
During a media briefing in Abuja, Wike expressed dissatisfaction with President Bola Tinubu’s decision to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State. This resulted in a six-month suspension of Governor Fubara, his deputy, and State House of Assembly members.
Amid the ongoing political tension, the Facebook page Agozi Comedy posted a 25-second video on May 10, 2025, claiming Wike publicly embarrassed Fubara for allegedly disrespecting him. As of May 17, 2025, the post had garnered significant engagement, with over 16,000 views, 117 likes, and seven comments.
Given the sensitive political climate in Rivers State and the potential of such claims to incite further division among supporters of both camps, DUBAWA decided to investigate the claim’s authenticity.
Verification
We reviewed the attached video and observed that it shows the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, waving and smiling at members of the public. At no point in the video was Nyesom Wike featured, nor does it show any incident suggesting Fubara was embarrassed or disgraced.
Further investigation by DUBAWA revealed that the same video was previously shared by the same Facebook page, Agozi Comedy, on April 29, 2025, but with a different caption.
The caption reads, “Rivers State women welcome back Governor SIM Fubara as the governor of Rivers State, asking him to defect to the APC or risk being compromised by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Nyesom Wike.”
DUBAWA also contacted Jerry Omotsegunwa, the Special Assistant on Electronic Media, regarding the suspended governor for clarification.
Omotsegunwa stated that such accounts are untrue and that Segun Osoba has debunked reports suggesting otherwise.
“There were rumours that Governor Fubara and two other PDP governors visited Wike. Governor Fubara went straight into Wike’s bedroom, lay down, and prostrated. But Segun Osoba has already clarified that nothing like that happened.”
“I don’t know where that story came from or who supposedly disgraced whom. As far as I’m concerned, it’s not true,” he said.
DUBAWA’s findings reveal no public record of Nyesom Wike directly disgracing Siminalayi Fubara in a face-to-face public confrontation. However, Wike has repeatedly and openly criticised Fubara in the media and public events, often in strong and disparaging terms.
Conclusion
No evidence supports the claim that Nyesom Wike publicly embarrassed Governor Siminalayi Fubara. While Wike has criticised Fubara in public statements, there is no proof of a direct public confrontation or disgrace. Therefore, the claim is false and misleading.
