Veteran actor and lawyer Kenneth Okonkwo has weighed in on the ongoing political tensions in Rivers State, offering a critical perspective on the power dynamics between FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
In an interview shared by Symfoni TV on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, Okonkwo argued that Wike’s influence in the state has diminished significantly, leaving him with few strategic options amid the current crisis.
According to Okonkwo, Wike’s position as a presidential appointee, as opposed to an elected official, limits his ability to exert authority within the state.
He explained that in contrast, Governor Fubara holds an electoral mandate, which gives him a stronger political footing. “Wike unfortunately has no bargaining cards anymore. If he makes any issue, they will throw him out because he is an appointee. Now, Fubara is an elected person,” Okonkwo said, highlighting the disparity in their political leverage.
The legal practitioner further suggested that President Bola Tinubu is strategically managing the rivalry between Wike and Fubara to prevent either from consolidating too much power in Rivers State.
According to Okonkwo, Tinubu’s approach is designed to maintain his own influence by ensuring that neither figure becomes dominant.
He elaborated: “Because Tinubu is a man that likes maximum power, he would not want any other person from any state to emerge that will have maximum power in that state. So what he is doing is he will use Fubara against Wike and use Wike against Fubara so that none of them will emerge to become too powerful in Rivers State. So unfortunately, Wike is at the lower end of the bargaining chip.”
Okonkwo’s analysis reflects concerns about the centralization of power in Nigeria’s political system and the ways in which federal authorities may manipulate state-level dynamics to maintain control.
By framing the conflict in terms of political strategy and leverage, he highlighted the precarious position of appointees in comparison to elected officials.
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