Siminalayi Fubara, suspended Rivers State governor, recently visited Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, at his Abuja residence in a bid to reconcile following months of political tension that led to the declaration of a state of emergency in the oil-rich state.
The visit followed a separate meeting between Fubara and President Bola Tinubu in London, where the deepening crisis between the governor and his predecessor, Wike, was discussed. The fallout from their feud prompted the federal government to suspend the governor and other elected officials for an initial six-month period.
Sources revealed that Fubara was accompanied to Wike’s residence on April 18 by Dapo Abiodun, the governor of Ogun State and former Governor Olusegun Osoba.
“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’,” Premium Times quoted a source familiar with the development.
Although the details of the discussion remain undisclosed, insiders suggest that Fubara was urged to return to Rivers and directly address his supporters and party elders regarding the rift with Wike.
While Wike’s spokesperson, Lere Olayinka, confirmed the meeting, he declined to provide further information, according to BusinessDay.
The rift between Fubara and Wike erupted just months after the former assumed office. It fractured the state legislature into two opposing camps, one aligned with Wike, the other with Fubara. The governor’s recognition of the smaller faction, made up of lawmakers who remained in the Peoples Democratic Party, escalated the dispute, as he declared the others had lost their seats after defecting to the All Progressives Congress.
In February 2025, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the pro-Wike lawmakers, affirming them as the legitimate state assembly, halting federal allocations to the state, and invalidating local council elections previously held by Fubara’s administration.
By March, the Rivers State House of Assembly issued a misconduct notice against Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, marking the beginning of formal impeachment proceedings. Lawmakers accused them of financial mismanagement, bypassing legislative approvals for appointments, obstructing the assembly’s duties, and withholding legislative funds.
The impeachment efforts coincided with the dismissal of elected local government chairpersons by the Fubara administration, following the Supreme Court’s judgment. Despite the political upheaval, Fubara pledged to implement the court’s decisions.
The federal government’s intervention, which included suspending the governor and the imposition of emergency rule, has sparked widespread condemnation across Nigeria, with many citizens and legal experts questioning the constitutionality of the move and its implications for democracy in the country.
