By Seyi Odewale
Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has publicly declared support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid and the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the State, Kingsley Ogundu Chinda, signalling a dramatic end to the prolonged political crisis that polarised Rivers politics.
The governor also announced his alignment with the Rainbow Coalition, the political platform spearheaded by his predecessor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, declaring that the era of political confrontation in the State had ended.
Fubara made the declaration on Wednesday during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Riven Medical Industries Project in Port Harcourt, where he urged his supporters to rally behind Tinubu, Chinda and all APC candidates in the 2027 general election.
The endorsement marks Fubara’s strongest public political statement since the reconciliation between him and Wike, ending months of intense political hostilities that had split the State’s political leadership.
“We have made peace in the State, and I am 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, and anybody who believes in me will support him and every other candidate that is under the Rainbow Coalition,” Fubara declared.
The governor said his decision reflected a commitment to unity and political stability, insisting that his supporters must close ranks and work for the success of the coalition in the next elections.
“I’ve gone back to our family. We need to move forward. The time of war is over. It is time for peace, and this peace is taking us to another level,” he said.
Fubara warned against attempts to create parallel political structures in his name, stressing that he would not associate with any movement capable of reopening divisions in the State.
“I’m not party to anything that will bring any form of disunity in this State. I’ve done what I need to do, and we are moving forward,” the governor stated.
Beyond politics, Fubara used the occasion to reaffirm his administration’s commitment to industrialisation through a public-private partnership with Enbay Pharmaceutical Industries Limited to revive the Riven Medical Industries Project.
He described the project as a strategic investment expected to strengthen local pharmaceutical manufacturing, create employment opportunities and position Rivers State as a major healthcare manufacturing hub in Nigeria and West Africa.
The governor, however, cautioned the investors against abandoning the project midway, recalling previous investments that ended in disputes and prolonged litigation.
He urged the developers to deliver the first phase of the project within three months. He appealed to host communities and the Obio/Akpor Local Government leadership to provide a peaceful environment for its successful execution.
The Riven Medical Industries Project, a partnership between the Rivers State Government and Enbay Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, is expected to manufacture pharmaceutical formulations, intravenous infusions, gelatin capsules and active pharmaceutical ingredients, while reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imported medicines and strengthening the country’s healthcare value chain.
