Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has pledged to honour the peace agreement brokered by President Bola Tinubu to resolve the political crisis in the state.
Fubara made the commitment on Monday after a private meeting with the president at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Addressing journalists, he said his visit was to formally inform Tinubu of his return to office following the end of six months of emergency administration in Rivers.
“You’re aware that the suspension was lifted at midnight on the 17th, and I resumed on the 19th. Ideally, it is proper for me to see Mr. President, to thank him and also seek his guidance as I resume my responsibilities,” Fubara said.
He described his conversation with the president as a “father-and-son discussion,” noting that Tinubu offered advice on governance and conflict management. “It’s just about saying thank you and seeking counsel so that we do not slip back into crisis,” he added.
The governor also stressed that his political relationship with former governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, had been repaired under Tinubu’s intervention. “As far as I’m concerned, we have made peace. My father and his principal are working together,” he said.
Fubara was temporarily removed from office on March 18 when President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State amid escalating tensions between the governor and Wike. During the period, retired Rear Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas served as sole administrator, overseeing local government elections and appointing officials. Fubara returned to office on September 18.
In a statewide broadcast following his reinstatement, Fubara expressed gratitude to the president for his intervention and urged Rivers residents to prioritise peace, describing it as “the greatest gift anyone can wish for.”
Despite the governor’s assurances, concerns remain over the undisclosed terms of the peace accord. Niger Delta activist, Ann-Kio Briggs, criticised the lack of transparency, insisting that Rivers people deserve to know the details of the arrangement.
“It’s not acceptable when politicians make these agreements over our heads. It’s like shaving someone’s head behind their back, We are the people who pay the greatest price in all of these things, and it is not right not to be aware of decisions that will affect us.”
Briggs further argued that without clarity, Rivers residents remain uncertain about the future of governance in the oil-rich state. “We don’t know what the president insisted on, we don’t know what was agreed upon, and we don’t know where that leaves the people of Rivers State. We need to know,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State House of Assembly has requested the governor to submit the 2025 budget alongside a list of commissioners for screening, as the state begins a transition back to normal governance.
