President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has intervened decisively in the lingering political crisis in Rivers State, brokering peace between the suspended Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
This significant development was confirmed by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement posted on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle. The peace meeting was held behind closed doors at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday night.
“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,” Onanuga stated.
Key political stakeholders from Rivers State were in attendance, including the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule, who led a delegation of lawmakers.
The face-off between Wike, a former governor of Rivers State, and his successor, Sim Fubara, began shortly after the 2023 general elections. What started as a political disagreement quickly escalated, culminating in a sharp division within the state assembly and the eventual demolition of the Assembly complex.
President Tinubu had initially attempted to mediate the dispute in December 2023, but that meeting ended without a resolution. As tensions escalated and concerns mounted over the security of critical oil installations in the state, Tinubu declared a state of emergency on March 18, 2025. This led to the suspension of Governor Fubara, his deputy, and the entire Rivers State House of Assembly.
Thursday’s peace meeting is seen as a major breakthrough and a critical step towards restoring political stability and governance in one of Nigeria’s most economically strategic states.
