Wike, Rivers Lawmakers Meet Fubara In Fresh Reconciliation Move

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Sunday led Rivers State lawmakers and the 23 local government chairmen to a meeting with Governor Siminalayi Fubara in Port Harcourt.

The meeting signals renewed efforts to sustain reconciliation between the governor and political forces loyal to Wike ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The delegation included the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and Kingsley Chinda, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the 2027 elections in the state.

The visit marked the first time Wike had met Fubara at his private residence in Port Harcourt.

It also followed an earlier meeting about a fortnight ago, when Wike led members of the Rainbow Coalition in Rivers State, including Chinda, to meet the governor.

Although details of Sunday’s closed-door meeting remained unclear, sources indicated that the discussions focused on consolidating reconciliation and finding ways to accommodate Fubara’s loyalists in the state’s political arrangement.

The meeting brought together key figures from the opposing camps whose prolonged dispute has shaped Rivers State politics for more than two years.

Fubara’s rift with Wike, his predecessor, escalated into a confrontation with the Amaewhule-led House of Assembly, whose members opposed the governor during the crisis.

At the height of the dispute, lawmakers made two attempts to impeach Fubara before President Bola Tinubu intervened.

Tensions intensified in October 2023 when an explosion damaged part of the Rivers State House of Assembly complex along Moscow Road in Port Harcourt.

The crisis deepened political divisions across the state, while suspected militant groups threatened to attack oil installations.

In March 2025, Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State for an initial six-month period amid the prolonged political turmoil.

The declaration led to the suspension of Fubara, his deputy and members of the state House of Assembly. Tinubu appointed Ibok-Ete Ibas as the state’s administrator during the emergency.

The elected officials later returned to office.

Sunday’s meeting brings the governor, the legislative leadership and local government chairmen aligned with Wike into renewed engagement.

The involvement of the 23 council chairmen also gives the talks a broader political dimension, as the camps seek to manage their differences ahead of the next election cycle.

However, it remains unclear whether the latest meeting will produce a lasting settlement or how the emerging arrangement will address the interests of Fubara’s supporters.

The contest over political influence, party tickets and local government structures could also shape the outcome of the reconciliation efforts as the 2027 elections approach.