iDeemlawfulRivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike left the Presidential Villa together on Sunday night after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu, officials familiar with the engagement told our correspondent.
Sources said although the two political adversaries arrived separately at the Villa, they departed in the same vehicle following the President’s intervention.
They described the move as a symbolic sign that the prolonged political rift between both men may be easing.
“Two of them did not come together. Fubara came first, then Wike came later. But at the end of the day, both of them left the Villa together in the same vehicle. Doesn’t that mean they both settled?” a source said.
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Another official also confirmed the meeting, stating, “Yes, he met them yesterday night. It is true.
The two of them settled. He talked to two of them. But I can’t tell you what he said.”
Earlier, The Nation had reported the meeting, noting that Fubara later accompanied Wike to his Guzape residence in Abuja.
The engagement is seen as a possible breakthrough in the Rivers political crisis, which has stalled governance in the oil-producing state for nearly two years.
The dispute between Wike and his former protégé, Fubara, erupted shortly after Fubara assumed office in May 2023.
Tensions escalated in October when lawmakers loyal to Wike in the Rivers State House of Assembly initiated impeachment moves against the governor.
Fubara responded by demolishing the Assembly complex after a suspicious fire incident and relocating legislative sittings to temporary facilities.
Subsequently, the struggle for control deepened, pushing the state into a severe governance crisis.
In December 2023, President Tinubu intervened, brokering a fragile peace that resulted in Fubara conceding key political appointments to Wike’s allies.
The truce later collapsed, with tensions resurfacing and prompting Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State on March 18, 2025.
The proclamation suspended the governor’s executive authority for an initial six months, citing insecurity and administrative breakdown.
Tinubu appointed a sole administrator, former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd.), to oversee the state.
Following renewed presidential intervention, the emergency rule was lifted in September 2025.
Months later, hostilities persisted as Fubara and the Martin Amaewhule-led House of Assembly remained locked in conflict, with lawmakers issuing another impeachment notice against the governor.