The suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, recently visited the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, at his Abuja residence to beg for reconciliation.
The visit came a few days after Mr Fubara held a meeting in London with President Bola Tinubu over his (Fubara) political feud with Mr Wike, which led to Mr Tinubu declaring an emergency rule in the oil-rich Rivers and suspending Mr Fubara and other elected officials for an initial six months.
Mr Fubara was led to Mr Wike’s residence by Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State and Olusegun Osoba, a former governor of Ogun.
“Fubara was brought to the minister’s house on Friday, 18 April. He prostrated for Wike while holding his legs and calling him, ‘My Oga’,” one of the sources said.
“He was in Wike’s house till the wee hours of Saturday, 19 April,” the source added.
The meeting outcome remains a secret, as those familiar with it have been unwilling to speak. Still, our reporter gathered that Mr Fubara was told to assemble his supporters in Rivers, especially the elders, and tell them the “truth” about his feud with Mr Wike.
Mr Wike’s spokesperson, Lere Olayinka, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that the meeting occurred, but said he was not privy to what was discussed.
When contacted, Nelson Chukwudi, a spokesperson to Mr Fubara, said, “I don’t respond to this kind of enquiry. You can contact the commissioner for information.”
The Commissioner for Information in Rivers, Joseph Johnson, did not respond to calls from our reporter.
Background
Mr Fubara and his predecessor, Mr Wike, fell apart in less than six months after Mr Fubara assumed office as governor.
The political crisis split the state’s legislature into two factions, with 27 lawmakers loyal to Mr Wike and three to Mr Fubara. The governor had recognised the three-member faction because he believed the others “lost” their seats in the assembly since they had “defected” from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.
However, the 28 February 2025 Supreme Court judgement tipped the balance of power in favour of Mr Wike and his allies.
The court reinstated the pro-Wike faction as the legitimate Rivers assembly, stopped federal allocations to the state, and nullified the local elections earlier conducted by Mr Fubara’s administration.
On 14 March, the Rivers House of Assembly served a notice of alleged misconduct against Mr Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, as a preliminary step for their impeachment.
In a notice addressed to the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, the 26 lawmakers, among other things, accused Mr Fubara of spending Rivers funds without approval from the state assembly and appointing people to run the government without the required screening and confirmation.
The lawmakers also accused Mr Fubara of hindering or obstructing the assembly from its constitutional functions and seizing salaries, allowances, and funds belonging to lawmakers, the clerk, and the assembly.
They accused the Deputy Governor, Mrs Odu, of “conniving and supporting the illegal appointment of persons to occupy offices/positions in the Rivers State Government without allowing for the requirement of screening and confirmation”.
The impeachment plot began about the time Mr Fubara removed the elected chairpersons of the local councils in obedience to the Supreme Court rulings. The governor said he was willing to implement all the Supreme Court’s decisions.
Nigerians have expressed outrage over the emergency rule in Rivers and the removal of Mr Fubara and other elected officials.
