President Bola Tinubu brokered a fresh truce between Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Sunday night. Both men were seen leaving the Presidential Villa together after a closed-door meeting in Abuja.
Presidency sources confirmed that although the two political adversaries arrived separately at the Villa, they departed in the same vehicle following the President’s intervention—an outcome widely interpreted as a symbolic gesture pointing to a possible resolution of their protracted feud.
“Fubara came first, Wike arrived later. But after the meeting, both of them left together in the same vehicle. That should tell you something,” a source familiar with the meeting said.
Another official corroborated the development, noting that the President met with both leaders and succeeded in calming frayed nerves. “Yes, the meeting took place last night. The two of them settled. The President spoke to them, but I cannot disclose the details of what was discussed,” the source added.
Earlier, The Nation had reported the meeting, revealing that Governor Fubara later accompanied Wike to his Guzape residence in Abuja.
The meeting is being viewed as a potential turning point in the Rivers State political crisis, which has severely disrupted governance in the oil-rich state for nearly two years.
The rift between Wike and his erstwhile protégé, Fubara, erupted shortly after the governor assumed office in May 2023. Tensions escalated in October when lawmakers loyal to Wike in the Rivers State House of Assembly initiated impeachment proceedings against Fubara.
In response, the governor ordered the demolition of the Assembly complex following a mysterious fire outbreak and relocated legislative sittings to temporary chambers, further deepening the crisis.
The ensuing power struggle paralysed key state institutions, prompting President Tinubu to intervene in December 2023. That intervention produced a fragile peace deal, under which Fubara agreed to accommodate Wike’s loyalists in key political appointments. However, the arrangement soon collapsed, reigniting hostilities.
The situation deteriorated further, culminating in President Tinubu declaring a state of emergency in Rivers State on March 18, 2025. Citing escalating insecurity and administrative breakdown, the President suspended the governor’s executive powers for an initial six-month period and appointed a sole administrator, former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd.).
Following sustained engagement, Tinubu lifted the emergency rule in September 2025, restoring constitutional order. Nonetheless, tensions persisted, with Governor Fubara and the Martin Amaewhule-led House of Assembly remaining at loggerheads. The Assembly later issued another impeachment notice against the governor, signalling a renewed round of political brinkmanship.
Sunday night’s meeting at the Presidential Villa, therefore, raises cautious hopes that a lasting political settlement may finally be within reach.
