After months of political tension that pushed Rivers State to the brink of instability, President Bola Tinubu on Thursday night facilitated a high-level meeting in Abuja that brought Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his estranged predecessor, Nyesom Wike, to the negotiating table.
The closed-door session, which also involved lawmakers from the state—most notably the faction led by the embattled Speaker, Martin Amaewhule—resulted in a tentative ceasefire between the two camps. Sources familiar with the meeting confirmed that the parties agreed to end hostilities and work toward a political resolution, with modalities to be developed in the coming days.
President Tinubu, who has been under pressure to prevent further deterioration in one of Nigeria’s most strategic oil-producing states, reportedly urged the factions to “return to the path of peace and governance in the interest of the Rivers people.” The intervention marks one of the clearest signs yet that the presidency is unwilling to allow internal conflicts derail governance in key states.
Governor Fubara, whose tenure has been marred by open confrontation with Wike—the man who helped bring him to power—also held a preliminary meeting earlier in the day with members of the State Assembly, including Amaewhule, a known Wike loyalist. The legislators had, at the height of the crisis, launched two impeachment attempts against the governor, citing insubordination and alleged constitutional breaches.
What began as a quiet rift between a governor and his predecessor soon escalated into a full-blown power struggle, featuring parallel sittings of the House of Assembly, mass resignations of commissioners, and repeated court interventions. The political impasse left Rivers State effectively divided, with government machinery operating under a cloud of uncertainty.
Wike, now serving as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory under Tinubu’s APC-led administration, had maintained a firm grip on state structures through loyal lawmakers and appointees, while Fubara attempted to assert his independence by reshuffling the cabinet and aligning with a rival faction of the PDP.
Thursday’s meeting, though short on immediate details, is seen as a breakthrough. Insiders say part of the agreement could see Fubara’s authority fully restored, along with the recognition of his executive decisions previously contested by the Assembly.
Observers believe that while Tinubu’s intervention may offer short-term calm, the real test lies in whether both camps will genuinely commit to reconciliation—or merely maintain a surface truce until the next political battle. With Rivers’ massive electoral weight and economic clout, both sides have much at stake in the run-up to 2027.
The coming weeks are expected to provide more clarity on how the agreement will be implemented, and whether it can hold in the long term.
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