Former Rivers State Senator, Magnus Abe, says Governor Siminalayi Fubara, cannot be called the state’s leader.

Abe made the claim while speaking on the cold war between Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on TVC’s programme, Politics Night.

The ex-senator, who was a former governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, in the 2023 elections, said being the state leader was a great deal beyond governing the state.

He said, “Being a governor has made him the leader of the government of Rivers State. But when you say political leader, that is something that you have to work to earn.

“To say Fubara is the political leader of Rivers State is a much broader context of leadership, and it takes time to build that kind of confidence, followership, support, and trust.

“Leadership is all about trust, and sometimes, navigating this difficult water helps bring you out as a leader when you begin to trust yourself and can rely on the direction you provide.”

Abe said it is Fubara’s responsibility to work towards that leadership.

“But he is the governor of Rivers State, and it is his responsibility to work towards that leadership. But to say he is the political leader of Rivers will be putting leadership into a broad context. And it takes time to get there. It takes bringing people together. You earn trust.

“As a governor, you have the opportunity to get there, but I don’t think it is conferred,” he added.

Drawing a contextual, Abe said the late Aminu Kano was the political leader of Kano despite not being a governor at the time.

Earlier, the senator said he had ended the protracted political feud between himself and Wike.

Before the 2023 elections, Abe first fell out of favour with his principal and former governor of the State, Rotimi Amaechi, who picked Lagos-based businessman and co-owner of Sahara Energy, Tonye Cole, as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state.

On the other hand, Wike settled for his political godson and then Accountant General of the state, Fubara, to succeed him.