Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers State, has withdrawn from the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary in the state, citing the need to prioritise peace, stability, and unity.
Fubara announced his decision in a statement issued personally on Wednesday night.
The governor said he stepped down from the contest after consultations with family members, friends, and political associates.
“After deep reflection and extensive consultations with my family, friends, and associates, I have taken the difficult but necessary decision to withdraw from the APC gubernatorial primaries. I do so with a full heart and with a firm commitment to support whoever emerges as the candidate of our great party,” he said.
“Leadership is ultimately about sacrifice. There comes a time when personal ambition must yield to the greater good of the people. Rivers State is bigger than any individual, and at this critical moment, the peace, stability, and unity of our dear state must take precedence over every personal interest.”
Fubara thanked his supporters for their loyalty and acknowledged the disappointment many of them might feel following his withdrawal.
He also suggested that his silence in recent weeks had been deliberate and guided by broader political considerations.
“As our elders say, not everything a hunter sees in the forest is spoken of in the marketplace. Some truths are best borne quietly, not out of fear, but out of wisdom and restraint for the sake of peace and a greater purpose,” he said.
“It is enough to say that I have faced immense pressures and difficult choices, but my love for Rivers State remains greater than anything else.”
The governor insisted his decision was “not out of weakness, fear, or surrender, but out of conviction and sacrifice so that Rivers State may move forward in peace and unity”.
Fubara added that he remains committed to serving the people of Rivers State until the end of his tenure.
Last week, the APC screened Fubara and Kingsley Chinda, an ally of Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), ahead of the party’s governorship primary scheduled for Friday.
Following the screening exercise, Fubara declined to speak with journalists, fuelling speculation that he had been disqualified by the screening committee.
The committee had reportedly disqualified several of Fubara’s associates seeking seats in the Rivers State House of Assembly while clearing aspirants loyal to Wike.
Fubara and Wike have been engaged in a prolonged political dispute that led to attempts by lawmakers aligned with the former Rivers governor to impeach the incumbent governor.
Wike has repeatedly stated that he would oppose Fubara’s re-election bid, accusing him of breaching a peace agreement brokered by President Bola Tinubu.