SIM Fubara was considered as unstoppable a few weeks a go but some recent events is pointing south for the financial technocrat turned emergency politician handpicked by the Rivers strongman governor Nyerisi Wike.

No doubt, he is contesting with some powerful personalities like Godwin Abe, Lulu-Briggs and Pastor Tonye Cole but his major backbone that set him aside has been the GDI political machine and his Ubani heritage.

The Grassroot Democratic Initiatives (GDI) is the well oiled political vehicle made up of all shade of people ranging from militants, community leaders and intellectuals that have consistently helped Wike win elections. It was the group that dismantled Ameachi tight grip on Rivers politics.

Ubani ethnic Nationality are the Igbo speaking Bonny and Opobo Kingdom whose indigenes have consistent punched above their relatively small sizes as a result of belonging to both the two politically dominant group in Rivers State namely Ijoid and igboid due to proximity and language respectively.

However, the two aforementioned backbones of SIMS Fubara are fast becoming his archile heels. The hitherto unbreakable GDI are been torn apart surprisingly by its founder Wike due to his political rascality and brigandage. The intellectual and experienced members like Secondus, Sekibo, Meeba left due to Wike’s quarrel with Atiku and the remanent militant and community Youth leaders are now serious conflicted by Wike’s apparent endorsement of Tinubu. As most Youths and common folks in Rivers state are mostly obedient, these GDI foot soldiers are finding it difficult to even contemplate embracing Tinubu/APC let alone market Tinubu’s candidature within their localities.

Wike and SIMS are in serious trouble as they cannot openly campaign due to fear of PDP hammer and more importantly a backlash from majority of Rivers people hence their near despondency and over dependent on unwilling GDI folks to market a product in a political hostile environment

On the Ubani advantage, the ijoid are clamouring to have a “true Ijaw son” back a the Brick house and this favours Kalabari born Pastor Tonye Cole after what they believed was the Igbo hegemony since the inception of the present republic.
Ordinarily, the ethnic politics would have played into SIM Fubara favour but recent turmoil in GDI due to Atiku and Obi’s factor is having other unexpected consequences with a damaging rumour being insinuated that SIMS is not from Opobo town but from a small village in Nkoro and cannot speak Ubani(Igbo) language.

On a recent campaign at Opobo, Wike was injecting Igbo language in his campaign speech roil up the people but Fubara was seen speaking English throughout which made lots of people to start doubting if he is really an Opobian. If the rumour persists, he may haemorrhage in Igboid heartland due to the clannish nature or Rivers Politics.

Pastor Tonye Cole although from Kalabari Ethnic nationality but has been brandishing his Igbo connection as his mum is from Anambra State. He is having huge support from non-indigenous Igbos a critical mass that that have favoured the PDP in previous election cycles and with his support base increasingly being embraced in Oyigbo, Etche, Omuma, ONELGA and Ahoada.
Nyerisi Wike is making things very difficult for SIM Fubara due to his current ambivalence. I hope SIMS ambition is not sacrificed.
Ogoni is already gone to Godwin Abe who is still suffering from his initial support for Tinubu.

If SIMS does not sufficiently assert himself, he would loose on both ends as the Ijoid group does not see him as an authentic Ijaw and the Igboid group are beginning to wonder if he is truly a "Nwafor".

I am a supporter of SIMS even with his withdrawn personality but he needs to start speaking up and be a man of himself. He should distanced himself a bit from Wike’s politics just as other G5 PDP gubernatorial candidates in other states but his apparent unpreparedness and drab nature are becoming glaring by the day.

On the other hand, Pastor Cole is clearly showing himself as a man of his own. He has not allowed Ameachi to be in the front burner of his campaign rather he has been speaking clearly to Rivers people in the language we understand.


The political climate in Rivers State is a feverish pitch now and a day is a long time in politics.

Time will tell if Sim Fubara would slither on to the end or Tonye would bulldoze his way through and end up at the Brick House