Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has responded sharply to comments by Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, insisting that his political backing was decisive in Fubara’s emergence as governor.
The exchange follows remarks made by Fubara at a New Year banquet held on Thursday, where he said, “if you have a dog in your house and it knows you, does it need to bark?”—a comment widely interpreted as a reaction to the renewed political tension between him and his former ally.
Addressing the people of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA) on Friday, Wike countered the remark by stating that the same “barking dog” Fubara referred to was responsible for making him governor.
According to Wike, he openly supported Fubara at a time when others stayed away. He said the support he gave, even when many Rivers people did not know Fubara, was instrumental to his victory, adding that he is not troubled by the current criticism.
Wike said, “This dog that’s barking now barked, even when Rivers people didn’t know who the person was, and the dog that barked made the person to be governor when others ran away. And he’s not afraid that the same dog now is barking. I wish him goodluck.”
The former Rivers governor also used the occasion to restate his political stance ahead of future elections, declaring unwavering support for President Bola Tinubu. He said there would be no debate about backing Tinubu, adding that a key political decision still lies ahead.
“We have decided to [work] for Asiwaju Tinubu. There’s no discussion about that, but there’s one we must take a decision. We won’t make the mistake we made last time. We would correct the mistake,” Wike said.
He further dismissed claims that the return of politicians who previously worked with Atiku Abubakar would bring any political advantage, noting that they failed to secure even 10 per cent of votes for Atiku in the past.
“I heard him say those who worked with Atiku are back. They couldn’t give Atiku 10 per cent. So what is the political advantage? I won’t call their names, but you all know them,” Wike added.
