Abduljelil IssaSiminalayi Fubara, the suspended Rivers State governor, recently visited Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, at his Abuja residence in a bid to reconcile following months of political tension that led to the declaration of a state of emergency in the oil-rich state.
The meeting occurred a few days after Fubara’s meeting with President Bola Tinubu in London over the Rivers political crisis.
It would be recalled that President Tinubu had declared an emergency rule in the oil-rich Rivers and suspended Fubara and other elected officials for an initial six months.
The president during the meeting in London directed Fubara to go and make peace with leaders and concerned parties in Rivers state.
However, Premium Times reported that Fubara heeded the directive as he went to Wike’s residence in Abuja with Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State and Olusegun Osoba, a former governor of the same state.
“Fubara was brought to the minister’s house on Friday, 18 April. He prostrated for Wike while holding his legs and calling him, ‘My Oga’,” one of the sources who spoke with the publication said.
“He was in Wike’s house till the wee hours of Saturday, 19 April,” the source added.
The meeting outcome remains a secret, as those familiar with it have been unwilling to speak. Still, our reporter gathered that Mr Fubara was told to assemble his supporters in Rivers, especially the elders, and tell them the “truth” about his feud with Wike.
Wike’s spokesperson, Lere Olayinka, confirmed that the meeting occurred, but said he was not privy to what was discussed.
When contacted, Nelson Chukwudi, a spokesperson to Fubara, said, “I don’t respond to this kind of inquiry. You can contact the commissioner for information.”
The rift between Fubara and Wike erupted just months after the former assumed office. It fractured the state legislature into two opposing camps, one aligned with Wike, the other with Fubara. The governor’s recognition of the smaller faction, made up of lawmakers who remained in the Peoples Democratic Party, escalated the dispute, as he declared the others had lost their seats after defecting to the All Progressives Congress.
In February 2025, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the pro-Wike lawmakers, affirming them as the legitimate state assembly, halting federal allocations to the state, and invalidating local council elections previously held by Fubara’s administration.
By March, the Rivers State House of Assembly issued a misconduct notice against Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, marking the beginning of formal impeachment proceedings. Lawmakers accused them of financial mismanagement, bypassing legislative approvals for appointments, obstructing the assembly’s duties, and withholding legislative funds.
The impeachment efforts coincided with the dismissal of elected local government chairpersons by the Fubara administration, following the Supreme Court’s judgment. Despite the political upheaval, Fubara pledged to implement the court’s decisions.
The federal government’s intervention, which included suspending the governor and the imposition of emergency rule, has sparked widespread condemnation across Nigeria, with many citizens and legal experts questioning the constitutionality of the move and its implications for democracy in the country.
