The political rapprochement between Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has gathered momentum, as Wike led members of the state House of Assembly and all 23 local government chairmen to a fresh meeting with the governor in Port Harcourt.
The meeting, held at Fubara’s private residence, comes barely two weeks after political leaders loyal to both camps gathered at the same venue in a renewed push to ease tensions and stabilise the state’s political landscape.
Among those who accompanied Wike were Martin Amaewhule, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, and Kingsley Chinda, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the state.
The latest engagement follows Wike’s recent declaration that his political feud with Fubara had ended, with the minister saying the governor had agreed to return to the political family that supported his emergence in 2023.
A committee led by Magnus Abe, chairman of the Rainbow Coalition reconciliation committee, was subsequently established to engage Fubara and his supporters.
Fubara has since pledged allegiance to the Rainbow Coalition and endorsed Chinda as his preferred successor in the 2027 governorship election, signalling a major shift in Rivers’ political calculations.
Although Fubara and Chinda were initially screened for the APC governorship primary, the incumbent governor later withdrew, citing the need to preserve peace and unity in the state. Chinda subsequently emerged as the party’s sole candidate.
The latest development marks a dramatic turn in a crisis that erupted shortly after Fubara assumed office in 2023. What began as a political disagreement between the governor and his predecessor escalated into a bitter power struggle that fractured the state assembly and destabilised governance.
Tensions peaked in October 2023 when a fire damaged part of the assembly complex amid the escalating dispute. Lawmakers aligned with Wike later initiated impeachment proceedings against Fubara, deepening the confrontation between the executive and legislative arms.
The crisis eventually prompted President Bola Tinubu to declare a six-month state of emergency in Rivers in March 2025, suspending Fubara, his deputy and members of the state assembly.
The elected officials subsequently returned to office after the emergency rule ended.
With key political figures now engaging directly, attention is turning to whether the latest talks will secure lasting stability in Rivers or trigger another shift in the state’s complex political alliances.
