Port Harcourt, Rivers State – Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara today extended profound gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for his decisive intervention in the protracted political crisis that has gripped the state, asserting that the President’s actions averted “looming anarchy.” Speaking at a meeting with leaders and stakeholders of the Simplified Movement, a prominent support group, in Port Harcourt on Thursday to mark his two years in office, Governor Fubara confirmed ongoing reconciliatory meetings with his predecessor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike.
“We are already in the peace process. I want you to thank Mr. President for his timely intervention to salvage the situation, and stabilize the polity and the State. If not for Mr. President, the story today would have been different,” Fubara declared, emphasizing the critical role President Tinubu played in preventing a further escalation of the conflict.
The Governor revealed that since President Tinubu’s intervention, several reconciliatory meetings have taken place, including some held at the FCT Minister’s residence in Abuja. These meetings, he stated, are geared towards resolving the lingering feud that has caused significant political instability in the oil-rich state.
“There is no reason why there will not be peace between himself and my Oga,” Fubara said, in a direct reference to Chief Wike, signalling a readiness for genuine reconciliation. He further added, “There will be peace. We are meeting. We will reconcile.”
The political rift between Governor Fubara and Chief Wike, which began shortly after Fubara assumed office in 2023, escalated into a full-blown crisis, leading to the reported bombing of the State House of Assembly Complex in October 2023 and a series of impeachment attempts against Fubara. The crisis saw a significant number of pro-Wike lawmakers defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), further complicating the political landscape.
President Tinubu’s intervention in March 2025, which saw the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State and the temporary suspension of Governor Fubara and other elected officials, was widely seen as a drastic measure to restore order. While some criticized the move as an overreach of executive authority, proponents argued it was necessary to prevent a total breakdown of law and order.
Reports indicate that a significant meeting between Fubara and Wike took place at Wike’s Abuja residence on April 18, 2025, following a separate meeting between Fubara and President Tinubu in London. Sources close to the reconciliation efforts, as reported by Premium Times, suggest that Governor Fubara was accompanied by Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun and former Ogun Governor Olusegun Osoba to Wike’s residence, where he reportedly prostrated and addressed Wike as “My Oga.” The outcome of those detailed discussions, while not fully disclosed, appears to have laid the groundwork for the ongoing peace process confirmed by Governor Fubara today.
The “Simplified Movement Worldwide,” a grassroots mobilization group that has consistently supported Governor Fubara, had previously expressed confidence in the new Sole Administrator appointed under the emergency rule while also rejecting claims that the emergency rule was based on accurate assessments of the state’s security situation.
Governor Fubara’s public acknowledgement of the peace process and his thanks to President Tinubu suggest a significant step towards de-escalation in the Rivers State political crisis. The coming weeks will likely reveal the true extent of the reconciliation and its impact on the state’s governance and political stability.
