Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Thursday night confirmed that the political rift between him and Governor Siminalayi Fubara has been resolved following a peace meeting brokered by President Bola Tinubu in Abuja.
Speaking to journalists after the closed-door meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Wike said both camps had reached a final agreement to end hostilities and work in unity.
“We have all agreed to work together with the governor, and the governor also agreed to work together with all of us. We are members of the same political family,” Wike said.
He acknowledged that the crisis had lingered for months but described the Thursday agreement as conclusive.
“Yes, just like humans, you have a disagreement, and then you also have a time to settle your disagreement.
“And that has been finally concluded today, and we have come to report to Mr. President, that is what we have agreed. So for me, everything is over,” he said.
Calling for calm among political followers, he added, “And I enjoin everybody who believes to work with us, to also work together with everybody, that there’s no more acrimony. There’s nothing to say.”
Meanwhile, the suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, confirmed the truce, describing the development as a moment of divine intervention and a crucial turning point for Rivers’ State.
“For me, it’s a day we have to thank Almighty God. For me, it’s very important that this day has come to be,” Fubara said.
He emphasised the need for peace to the Rivers state’s development, noting that, “What we need for the progress of Rivers State is peace, and by the special grace of God, this night, with the help of Mr. President and the agreement of the leaders of the state, our leader, peace has returned in Rivers State.”
Fubara also pledged full commitment to preserving the fragile unity achieved during the presidential peace meeting, adding, “We’ll do everything within our power to make sure that we sustain it this time around.”
The fallout between Wike and his political godson, Governor Fubara, began shortly after the latter assumed office in May 2023.
Tensions flared in October when members of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to Wike initiated impeachment proceedings against Fubara.
The governor responded by demolishing the Assembly complex following a suspicious fire, relocating legislative sessions to temporary quarters.
In the months that followed, the power tussle plunged the state into a governance crisis.
In December 2023, President Tinubu intervened, facilitating a fragile truce that led to a peace deal in which Fubara conceded several political appointments to Wike’s loyalists.
However, the arrangement broke down, and the conflict resurfaced, culminating in President Tinubu declaring a state of emergency on March 18, 2025.
Tinubu’s declaration suspended the governor’s executive powers for an initial period of six months, citing rising insecurity and administrative paralysis.
He then installed a sole administrator, former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd.).