President Tinubu has lastly dealer peace between Wike and Fubara.
In a landmark intervention late Thursday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu personally mediated a peace accord between Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike and suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, bringing an finish to just about a 12 months of bitter political infighting.
The closed-door reconciliation assembly, held on the Presidential Villa in Abuja on June 26, additionally convened embattled Rivers Meeting Speaker Martins Amaewhule and all lawmakers embroiled within the disaster that has paralyzed governance within the oil-rich state.
Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga confirmed the session on X (previously Twitter), sharing video footage of the principals arriving on the Villa. “President Tinubu hosted a reconciliation assembly on Thursday evening, bringing collectively all key figures within the Rivers State political standoff,” Onanuga wrote.
Three months earlier, Tinubu had suspended Governor Fubara and imposed a state of emergency in Rivers, citing escalating tensions and a breakdown of regulation and order. Thursday’s intervention represents his most dramatic effort but to revive stability.
Although the communiqué from the assembly has not been made public, sources say the President urged each camps to “sheath their swords” and prioritize constitutional governance over private rivalry.
As soon as political allies, Wike and Fubara fell out quickly after the latter succeeded the previous as governor in 2023. Wike—who had orchestrated Fubara’s victory—allegedly tried to proceed influencing state affairs from his FCT Minister submit, triggering resistance from Fubara’s camp. By late 2023, the schism widened into open warfare between the manager and a legislature believed loyal to Wike. In December of that 12 months, the Rivers Home of Meeting moved to question Fubara, sparking public protests and mutual accusations of intimidation. A failed January 2024 reconciliation effort and the next declaration of a state of emergency heightened tensions additional, underscoring the depth of the deadlock. With President Tinubu’s direct engagement, observers hope the truce will allow a return to normalcy in Rivers State. The steadiness of Nigeria’s fourth-largest financial system—and its important oil revenues—hinges on the success of this fragile détente. A follow-up assembly is anticipated to flesh out particular phrases of cooperation and description timelines for lifting the suspension and emergency powers, although no date has but been introducedRift Born of Rivalry
A New Chapter