Peace returns to Rivers as Wike, Fubara reconcile

By Abdulfatah Last updated Dec 19, 2023

The crisis that engulfed Rivers State following the rift between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor and godfather, Nyesom Wike, may have been resolved.

This follows another intervention by President Bola Tinubu

An eight-point step has been taken to resolve the political feud between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

The steps were taken following the intervention by President Bola Tinubu in a meeting held on Monday night at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

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Apart from President Tinubu, Fubara and his Deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu; a former governor of the State, Peter Odili and Wike, who is also the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, and other stakeholders were in the meeting.

Also present were Vice President, Kashim Shettima; the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila attended the meeting.

At the end of the meeting, an eight-point resolution was signed, directing that all lawsuits instituted in the courts by Fubara and his team, regarding the political crisis in Rivers State should be be withdrawn immediately.

Additionally, “All impeachment proceedings initiated against the Governor of Rivers State by the Rivers State House of Assembly should be dropped immediately.

“The leadership of the Rivers State House of Assembly as led by the Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule shall be recognised alongside the 27 members who resigned from the PDP.

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“The remunerations and benefits of all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and their staff must be reinstated immediately and the Governor of Rivers State shall henceforth not interfere with the full funding of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

“The Rivers State House of Assembly shall choose where they want to sit and conduct their legislative business without interference and/or hindrance from the executive arm of government.

“The Governor of Rivers State, Sir Fubara, shall re-present the state budget to a properly constituted Rivers State House of Assembly.

“The names of all commissioners in the Rivers State Executive Council who resigned their appointments because of the political crisis in the State should be resubmitted to the House of Assembly for approval.

“There should not be a caretaker committee for the local governments in Rivers State. The dissolution of the Local Government administration is null and void and shall not be recognised.”

Fubara; his deputy, Ordu; Wike; Ribadu; factional Speaker of the Rivers State Assembly, Martin Amaewhule; Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State, Aaron Chukwuemeka, and his All Progressives Congress Chairman, Tony Okocha, all signed the eight-point resolution.

However, speaking on television after the resolution was signed, the Presidential spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, said Tinubu would have wielded the big stick if the truce meeting had failed.

Ngelale said the president acted as the father of the nation and not because of political reasons.

“He’s the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. It’s his primary responsibility to ensure that there’s peace, stability and security in all parts of the country,” Ngelale said.

“If he sees that peace is breaking down in any part of the country, this is a President that will take action. But nobody should be mistaken, His Excellency, Mr President, was fully ready and equipped to take a very hard action if this resolution was not reached.

“So it is of great relief to the Rivers people and Nigerians at large that a resolution has been reached.”