Fubara Declares Wike His Principal, Says Rivers Crisis Is Over

…Pledges to Work With All Stakeholders to Sustain the Peace

By Yinka Giwa
Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State on Monday drew a line under months of political turbulence in the state, declaring that he and his estranged political godfather, former governor and now FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, have reconciled and are working together.

Fubara made the disclosure after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, in what he described as both a thank-you visit and a reaffirmation of his commitment to peace in Rivers.

“As far as I’m concerned, we have made peace. Fubara and his principal are working together,” the governor told State House correspondents, in his clearest public admission yet that the bitter feud with Wike has ended.

The two men, once allies, fell apart barely months after Fubara assumed office in May 2023. The crisis quickly escalated into a full-blown political standoff, dividing the Rivers State House of Assembly, sparking defections, and threatening governance in the oil-rich state. President Tinubu was forced to intervene in late 2023, brokering a fragile truce that only partially stemmed the hostility.

Fubara explained that his visit to President Tinubu followed the lifting of the suspension that had curtailed political activities in the state. “The suspension was lifted at midnight on September 17, and I came in on the 19th. Ideally, it’s proper for me to see Mr. President and tell him that I’m back, and I’ve also resumed my responsibility as the governor of Rivers State,” he said.

He described his discussion with Tinubu as a “father-son conversation,” adding that the President had provided guidance on how to navigate potential flashpoints in order to avert a relapse into political crisis. “It’s not much. It’s a father-son discussion, telling him thank you, and the areas where, if at all, there should be any issue for him to guide me properly so that we don’t be in any situation of crisis,” Fubara explained.

The governor’s declaration that he and Wike are “working together” is expected to calm Rivers’ volatile political waters. Analysts note, however, that the durability of the peace will depend on whether both camps truly bury the hatchet or merely paper over their differences under Tinubu’s watchful eye.

For now, Fubara insists the feud is over. “Peace has fully returned to Rivers State,” he said. “We are working with all stakeholders to sustain it in the interest of our people.”