President Bola Tinubu on Thursday night held a closed door meeting with the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, and the Rivers State Speaker, Martins Amaewhule, for the purpose of reconciling the discord between them.
According to reports by Channels Television, the closed-door meeting took place at the Presidential Villa in Abuja and was convened by President Tinubu to restore calm after months of political turmoil in the South-South state.
The meeting also marks the first time Governor Fubara will be seen meeting with the President who suspended him, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and the Rivers Assembly while declaring the emergency rule in the state.
President Tinubu attributed his action to the inability of the governor and the state Assembly to find ways to work together and the security situation in the state, among other things.
The face-off between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Wike, who is regarded as his political godfather, had plunged the state into a protracted crisis.
The conflict escalated when lawmakers loyal to Wike moved to impeach Fubara, prompting the demolition of the Assembly complex and the emergence of a parallel legislative leadership.
The standoff led to fears of a potential breakdown of law and order, with calls for a state of emergency in Rivers State surfacing in March this year.
The National Assembly later approved the measure, appointing the former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral Ibok Ete-Ibas (retd), to take charge of the state’s affairs for six months.
