iDeemlawfulPresident Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reportedly instructed the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to stop the impeachment plot targeting Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
On January 8, the Rivers State House of Assembly commenced impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara and his Deputy, Mrs Odu, citing alleged gross misconduct.
This marked the third attempt by the lawmakers to remove the Rivers governor since he assumed office in 2023.
The impeachment initiative followed accusations by Nyesom Wike, a former Rivers State governor, that Fubara had violated the terms of a peace agreement brokered by President Bola Tinubu in June last year.
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Tinubu had earlier stepped into the dispute between Fubara and Wike in December 2023, facilitating a fragile settlement that soon collapsed, culminating in the declaration of a six-month emergency rule in the state on March 18, 2025, and the suspension of the governor.
In a renewed effort to calm one of the nation’s most volatile political crises, Tinubu reportedly ordered an immediate halt to all impeachment actions against Fubara, subject to strict conditions.
According to a report aired on ARISE News on Tuesday, the president directed Governor Fubara to formally acknowledge his predecessor, Wike, as the “undisputed political leader” of Rivers State.
ARISE TV stated that Tinubu’s latest intervention was designed to de-escalate the prolonged crisis in the oil-rich state, where a fierce power struggle between Fubara and Wike has stalled governance and split the state legislature.
Sources cited in the broadcast revealed that Tinubu issued the directive shortly before leaving Nigeria for an official visit to Türkiye on January 26, 2026, amid renewed impeachment threats against the governor.
The president was said to have instructed Wike and his supporters in the Rivers State House of Assembly to abandon all impeachment plans immediately, warning that sustained political hostilities would destabilise the state and weaken governance.
However, ARISE TV reported that Tinubu stressed the ceasefire would stand only if Fubara made significant concessions, notably recognising Wike as the political leader of Rivers State with final authority over party affairs.
The president was quoted as emphasising respect for political seniority, describing Wike as an “elder statesman” whose influence in Rivers politics could not be dismissed despite personal differences.
The fallout between Fubara and Wike began soon after Fubara’s inauguration in May 2023, following the governor’s moves to assert independence from his former political benefactor.