The political crisis in Rivers State appears to be nearing its end, following a major reconciliation meeting facilitated by President Bola Tinubu on Thursday night at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former Rivers governor, Nyesom Wike, announced after the closed-door meeting that he and suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, had agreed to put their differences aside and work together moving forward.
“We have all agreed to work together with the governor, and the governor has also agreed to work with all of us,” Wike told journalists. “We are members of the same political family. Like any family, there are disagreements, but there is also time to reconcile. That reconciliation has been achieved today.”
The late-night peace meeting was attended by President Tinubu, Governor Fubara, Wike, and the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, along with other suspended members of the state legislature. Photographs from the gathering showed the once-divided actors smiling, shaking hands, and posing together—symbols of a thaw in the political tension.
Speaking after the meeting, Governor Fubara said the talks signaled the return of peace to the oil-rich state, following months of political instability.
The Rivers crisis reached a boiling point in March 2025, when President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the state, suspending Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and the entire House of Assembly. Retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas was appointed to oversee state affairs temporarily.
The suspension, which drew widespread criticism from opposition figures, civil society groups, and legal associations, followed a bitter feud between Wike and Fubara over control of the state’s political structure. The dispute had been brewing since 2023 and intensified when pro-Wike lawmakers threatened Fubara with impeachment.
Tinubu defended the suspension and state of emergency, saying it was necessary to prevent a breakdown of law and order after several pipeline explosions and security threats were reported.
However, Thursday’s meeting—reportedly the second between Tinubu and Fubara in recent weeks—offered a different tone. Observers say it could pave the way for the lifting of the state of emergency and the reinstatement of suspended state officials.
With both camps now publicly expressing a desire to work together, there is cautious optimism that Rivers State may finally return to political stability after more than a year of turmoil.
