PHOTOS + VIDEO: Tinubu brokers peace between Wike and Fubara after months of political turmoil

In a decisive move to end the prolonged political turmoil in Rivers State, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu hosted a closed-door reconciliation meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday night, June 26.

The high-level session brought together key political rivals, including the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara.

The session also included embattled Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, and all lawmakers involved in the deepening rift that has engulfed the state’s political landscape for nearly a year.

Confirming the meeting, Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga posted a video on X (formerly Twitter), stating: “President Bola Tinubu hosted a reconciliation meeting on Thursday night at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, bringing together all the figures in the Rivers State political crisis.

"Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, Speaker Martins Amaewhule, and other Rivers State Assembly members attended the closed-door session.”

The intervention comes three months after President Tinubu controversially suspended Fubara and declared a state of emergency in Rivers, citing escalating tensions and the breakdown of governance.

Though details of the meeting were not made public, it is widely believed that Tinubu urged all factions to sheath their swords in the interest of peace and governance.

Longstanding Rift Between Wike and Fubara

The crisis between Nyesom Wike and Siminalayi Fubara, once political allies, began shortly after Fubara succeeded Wike as governor of Rivers State in 2023.

Wike, who was instrumental in Fubara’s emergence as governor, allegedly continued to exert control over state affairs even after assuming office as FCT Minister.

By late 2023, cracks widened when Fubara resisted Wike’s influence, leading to an open confrontation between the state executive and legislature, primarily believed to be loyal to Wike.

In December 2023, the Rivers State House of Assembly attempted to impeach Governor Fubara, sparking public protests and institutional paralysis.

The situation worsened when security operatives stormed the Assembly complex, prompting counter-accusations of state-backed intimidation.

Tinubu’s eventual declaration of a state of emergency followed a failed reconciliation effort in January 2024.

Thursday’s truce marks the most significant intervention yet by the presidency and may signal a turning point in the state’s fragile political arrangement.