Nyesom Wike, the former governor of Rivers State and minister of the Federal Capital Territory, said Thursday night that a peace summit facilitated by President Bola Tinubu in Abuja had ended the political dispute between him and Governor Siminalayi Fubara. Following the private meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Wike told reporters that both sides had finally agreed to put an end to the fighting and cooperate.
“The governor has committed to working with all of us, and we have all agreed to work with the governor. Wike declared, “We belong to the same political family.”
Although he admitted that the problem had persisted for months, he called the accord reached on Thursday “conclusive.” It is true that, like people, you have disagreements and then have time to resolve them.
As agreed upon, that has finally been completed today, and we have come to report to Mr. President. Therefore, it’s all over for me,” he remarked.
“And I enjoin everybody who believes to work with us, to also work together with everybody, that there is no more acrimony,” he continued, urging political followers to be calm. Nothing can be said. Siminalayi Fubara, the suspended governor, verified the truce in the meantime and called it a significant turning point for Rivers’ State and a moment of divine intervention.
In my opinion, it’s a day to give thanks to Almighty God. The fact that this day has arrived is crucial in my opinion,” Fubara further explained “what we need for the progress of Rivers State is peace, and by the special grace of God, this night, with the help of Mr. President and the agreement of the leaders of the state, our leader, peace has returned in Rivers State,” he emphasized the importance of peace to the state’s development. “We’ll do everything within our power to make sure that we sustain it this time around,” Fubara added, pledging his complete dedication to maintaining the tenuous unity that was achieved during the presidential peace meeting.
Not long after Governor Fubara took office in May 2023, Wike and his political godson started to have disagreements. When Wike-supporting members of the Rivers State House of Assembly started the impeachment process against Fubara in October, tensions increased, after a suspicious fire, the governor responded by dismantling the Assembly complex and moving parliamentary sessions to temporary quarters. The power struggle threw the state into a crisis of governance in the months that followed.
President Tinubu stepped in in December 2023, bringing about a tenuous ceasefire that resulted in a peace agreement wherein Fubara gave Wike’s supporters a number of political posts. On March 18, 2025, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency after the agreement collapsed and the fighting reappeared. Citing growing insecurity and administrative gridlock, Tinubu announced a six-month initial suspension of the governor’s executive authority. He subsequently appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd.), a former Chief of Naval Staff, as the only administrator.
