The supremacy battle between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has taken a dramatic turn following the conclusion of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary elections for House of Representatives candidates in Rivers State.

In a sweeping outcome that further consolidates the minister’s grip on the political machinery of the state, loyalists tightly aligned with Nyesom Wike successfully secured the party’s tickets across key federal constituencies. Conversely, candidates and political actors backing Governor Fubara were conspicuously missing from the winner’s circle, failing to clinch vital slots in the primary contests.

The lopsided results underscore the deep-seated structural influence Wike’s camp continues to wield over the party’s delegates and local executives, despite the prolonged administrative and legal warfare rocking the state’s political landscape.

Observers note that the complete dominance of Wike’s loyalists in the APC primary signals a major bottleneck for Governor Fubara’s camp, which has been fighting to establish an independent subnational foothold ahead of the upcoming general elections.

The outcome is expected to trigger fresh strategic calculations within the state’s executive circles, as the exclusion of Fubara’s allies from these critical legislative tickets significantly alters the balance of power and intensifies the friction within the state’s political ecosystem.