The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has spoken on the latest meeting involving him, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and President Bola Tinubu, describing it as a presidentially initiated effort to restore peace in the state.
Wike said the meeting, held on Monday, February 9, was convened at the instance of President Tinubu in response to the lingering rift between him and Governor Fubara.
According to the minister, the President personally took the initiative to broker peace between Fubara and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, amid the protracted political crisis in the oil-producing state.
Wike expressed appreciation for Tinubu’s intervention and voiced optimism that the engagement would lead to lasting peace between the governor and the state legislature.
“This is the second time the President is intervening, and I believe by the grace of God this will be the last time,” Wike said on Monday after an inspection tour of ongoing projects in Abuja.
“I have told the members of the House of Assembly to do the needful and obey Mr President, which I know they will not hesitate to do. I also believe the governor will play his part to ensure that this is the final time the people of Rivers State will hear of this kind of discord.”
His comments came a day after reports emerged that Wike and Fubara left the Presidential Villa together following the meeting and proceeded to Wike’s Abuja residence.
Presidential intervention
On Sunday, President Tinubu met behind closed doors with key political stakeholders from Rivers State, including Wike and Fubara, in what sources described as a renewed attempt to resolve the power struggle between the governor and his predecessor.
The meeting, which was also attended by other Rivers political leaders, focused on easing tensions between the executive and the legislature.
According to reports, Governor Fubara accompanied Wike to his residence in Guzape, Abuja, after the meeting, an unusual move that observers interpreted as a possible sign of a temporary truce.
The latest presidential intervention comes weeks after lawmakers loyal to Wike issued a third impeachment notice against Fubara, a process that has since become the subject of court action.
Despite the high-level engagement, uncertainty remains over whether any truce will endure. Key unresolved issues reportedly include whether Fubara has agreed to abandon a second-term ambition and relinquish political control of Rivers State, demands widely attributed to Wike’s political camp.
It also remains unclear whether the pro-Wike lawmakers will withdraw the impeachment notice against the governor.
