Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Sunday night departed the Presidential Villa, Abuja, in the same vehicle after a closed-door meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Presidency officials familiar with the meeting confirmed to The PUNCH that although the two political rivals arrived separately, Fubara rode away with Wike following the President’s intervention.
The development is being interpreted as a symbolic gesture suggesting a possible thaw in the prolonged political crisis that has rocked Rivers State.
“Two of them did not come together. Fubara came first, then Wike came later. But at the end of the day, both of them left the Villa together in the same vehicle. Doesn’t that mean they both settled?” a presidency source said.
Another official confirmed the meeting, stating, “Yes, he met them yesterday night. It is true. The two of them settled. He talked to the two of them. But I can’t tell you what he said.”
Recall that The Nation had earlier reported that following the meeting, Fubara accompanied Wike to his Guzape residence in Abuja.
Although details of the discussions were not disclosed, sources described the atmosphere as conciliatory.
The rift between Wike and his political protégé, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, began shortly after Fubara assumed office in May 2023.
Tensions escalated in October 2023 when members of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to Wike initiated impeachment proceedings against the governor.
In response, Fubara demolished the Assembly complex following a controversial fire incident and relocated legislative sittings to temporary quarters.
The power struggle subsequently plunged the state into a governance crisis, with both camps laying claim to political legitimacy.
In December 2023, President Tinubu brokered a fragile peace deal that saw Fubara concede certain political appointments to Wike’s loyalists.
However, the truce later collapsed, leading to renewed hostilities.
The crisis reached a peak on March 18, 2025, when Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, citing rising insecurity and administrative paralysis.
The declaration suspended the governor’s executive powers for an initial six months and led to the appointment of former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd.), as sole administrator.
Emergency rule was eventually lifted in September 2025 after another presidential intervention.
Despite this, tensions persisted, with the Martin Amaewhule-led House of Assembly again issuing an impeachment notice against Fubara in recent months.
