…as Tinubu’s intervention ends months-long Rivers political crisis
After nearly a year of political tension and open confrontation, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Thursday night confirmed that he and Governor Siminalayi Fubara have agreed to end their long-standing feud and work together in unity.
Speaking to journalists at the Presidential Villa in Abuja following a closed-door meeting brokered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Wike declared that both factions had resolved their differences and reached a final agreement to put the political crisis behind them.
“We have all agreed to work together with the governor, and the governor also agreed to work together with all of us. We are members of the same political family,” Wike stated.
He described the breakthrough as a definitive conclusion to the months-long political battle that had paralysed governance in Rivers State.
“Yes, just like humans, you have a disagreement, and then you also have a time to settle your disagreement. And that has been finally concluded today, and we have come to report to Mr. President, that is what we have agreed. So for me, everything is over,” he added.
The FCT Minister urged political supporters to embrace peace and cooperation, insisting there was no longer any basis for division or hostility. “I enjoin everybody who believes to work with us, to also work together with everybody. There’s no more acrimony. There’s nothing to say.”
Also addressing the press, Governor Siminalayi Fubara expressed gratitude for the resolution, calling it a divine moment and a pivotal chapter in Rivers State’s political history.
“For me, it’s a day we have to thank Almighty God. It’s very important that this day has come to be,” he said.
He stressed the importance of peace for the state’s development and pledged to uphold the unity restored through the president’s intervention.
“What we need for the progress of Rivers State is peace, and by the special grace of God, this night, with the help of Mr. President and the agreement of the leaders of the state, our leader, peace has returned in Rivers State,” Fubara declared.
“We’ll do everything within our power to make sure that we sustain it this time around.”
The reconciliation follows months of political turmoil triggered by the falling-out between Wike and his political protégé, Governor Fubara, shortly after the latter assumed office in May 2023.
The crisis escalated in October 2023 when lawmakers loyal to Wike in the Rivers State House of Assembly initiated impeachment proceedings against the governor. In response, Fubara ordered the demolition of the Assembly complex following a suspicious fire outbreak, relocating legislative activities to a temporary facility.
The impasse deepened into a full-blown governance crisis, drawing national attention and concern.
In December 2023, President Tinubu stepped in to broker a fragile truce, which saw Fubara concede key political appointments to Wike’s loyalists. However, the peace was short-lived.
The situation deteriorated again in early 2025, culminating in President Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency on March 18, 2025. The president suspended the governor’s executive powers for six months, citing heightened insecurity and a breakdown in governance, and appointed a sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd.), to oversee the state’s affairs.
With Thursday’s truce, observers hope Rivers State can now move beyond the political crisis and refocus on governance and development.
