WIKE DECLARES END TO RIFT WITH FUBARA, HAILS TINUBU’S INTERVENTION
Read Time:1 Minute, 52 Second
By: Sefiu Ajape
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has declared that the rift between him and Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, is over.
Wike disclosed that reconciliation had already taken place.
Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, on Thursday, the minister said he would not have engaged with Fubara if he had not forgiven him.
“I have already said that we have been speaking. I will not engage with a man I have not forgiven. Everything is over.
“I am not a politician who says one thing today and another tomorrow. We must move forward,” he stated.
However, Wike accused unnamed individuals of trying to undermine the peace process by twisting the legal interpretation of local government elections in the state.
“Unfortunately, there are people who do not want peace. Today, I watched individuals twisting the law, claiming illegality in the conduct of local government elections.
“But ask them: what did they do to prevent such illegality in the first place?” he queried.
Wike also praised President Bola Tinubu for his intervention in the political crisis, describing him as instrumental in restoring stability to Rivers State despite the activities of what he called “conflict merchants.”
“The president has done a great deal for us, and peace has been restored,” he added.
The rift between Wike and Fubara began shortly after Fubara took office in May 2023.
By October, tensions heightened when lawmakers loyal to Wike in the Rivers State House of Assembly moved to impeach the governor.
In retaliation, Fubara ordered the demolition of the Assembly complex after a suspicious fire outbreak, forcing legislators to relocate to temporary venues.
The power struggle dragged on for months, creating a governance crisis in the state.
In December 2023, President Tinubu brokered a fragile peace deal that saw Fubara concede several political appointments to Wike’s allies.
That truce eventually collapsed, reigniting the conflict. On March 18, 2025, Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, citing insecurity and administrative breakdown.
The declaration suspended Fubara’s executive powers for six months and installed former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd.), as sole administrator.
However, on Wednesday, Tinubu lifted the ban and restored Fubara as governor.
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