By Our Reporter
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, yesterday declined to disclose details of the recent peace deal between him and suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, insisting that the return of peace to the state is all that matters.
Wike made this known during a media chat held at his Abuja residence, where he brushed aside questions about the specific terms of the reconciliation brokered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu last month. “I will allow you to speculate, it’s not my business. All I know is that peace has come,” he stated bluntly.
The former Rivers governor maintained that the real issue was not what was agreed upon but the outcome, which he described as the restoration of calm in the oil-rich state. “If you are not satisfied with that, there is nothing we can do. What is important is that peace has returned. Whatever thing anybody says is not my business,” he added.
Wike also claimed that some individuals had profited from the political crisis, describing the prolonged conflict as a “cash cow” for certain persons with vested interests. According to him, these unnamed actors were unhappy with the peace process and the cessation of hostilities between him and Fubara.
“Some people were making money from the crisis. Now that peace has returned, they are angry. They are no longer getting what they used to,” he alleged.
The months-long political battle between Wike and his estranged protégé, Governor Fubara, had plunged Rivers State into a tense impasse, with both men locked in a power struggle over the control of political structures.
The situation escalated when pro-Wike lawmakers in the Rivers House of Assembly, led by Martin Amaewhule, initiated impeachment proceedings against Fubara. The subsequent attack on crude oil installations in the state prompted President Tinubu to intervene.
In March 2025, Tinubu suspended Governor Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and members of the state House of Assembly. He also appointed and swore in retired naval officer, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), as Sole Administrator to oversee the affairs of the state, pending a resolution.
Last week’s peace meeting at the Presidential Villa, attended by all the warring parties, signaled a thaw in the frosty relationship. Although details of the agreement remain tightly guarded, the deal is acclaimed to have led to the return of relative normalcy in the state’s political affairs.