President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday night, hosted a high-stakes reconciliation meeting between suspended Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
The closed-door meeting, held at the State House in Abuja, included Rivers Assembly Speaker Martins Amaewhule, lawmakers, and key political stakeholders.
This latest peace meeting is seen as a last-ditch attempt by the presidency to end the political feud in the state.
It will be recalled that President Tinubu had on March 18 declared a state of emergency in the state, suspending Fubara, his deputy, and all the State House of Assembly members.
Fubara speaks after meeting with Tinubu, Wike
The suspended governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, believes the conciliatory meeting between him, the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, and the suspended members of the Rivers State House of Assembly signals a return to peace in the state.
“For me, it is very important that this day has come to be. What we need for the progress of Rivers State is peace, and by the special grace of God, and with the help of Mr President and with the agreement of the leaders of the state, peace has returned in Rivers State,” Fubara said late Thursday following a meeting with Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Fubara, who is in his third month of suspension, promised to “do everything within our power to ensure that we sustain it this time around”.
President Tinubu suspended Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the Rivers Assembly in March 2025, after a heated and long-drawn political impasse in the oil-producing state.
Wike, the ex-governor of the state, fell out with Fubara, his political godson, over the control of structures in the state. The situation deteriorated as the lawmakers loyal to the FCT minister – led by Martin Amaewhule – attempted to impeach Fubara.
‘We have all agreed to work together’
However, late Thursday, the parties were spotted in a more friendly and jovial mood, marked by handshakes, smiles, and photos, after the meeting with Tinubu.
After the meeting, Wike said all parties have agreed to work together, adding that their differences have been settled.
“We have all agreed to work together with the governor, and the governor has also agreed to work with all of us,” Wike said.
“We are members of the same political family – yes, just like humans, we all have disagreements, and then you also have the time to settle your disagreements, and that has been finally concluded today. We have come to report to Mr President that this is what we have agreed.”
He added, “For me, everything is over and in joy,” saying that “We have all agreed on everything, so we thank Almighty God.”
The meeting is the second time Fubara has met with Tinubu since he was suspended. The duo met earlier in the month when the suspended governor visited the president in Lagos.
Tinubu had immediately, after suspending the lawmakers, Fubara and his deputy, appointed and sworn in a retired naval chief, Vice Admiral Ibok-ete Ibas (rtd), as the sole administrator of the state.
While that move prompted condemnation, the president hinged his decision on Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, saying he couldn’t continue to watch the political situation in Rivers escalate without taking any action.
