President Bola Tinubu is reportedly preparing to reinstate the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, and the Rivers State House of Assembly later this month, following the successful brokering of a truce between Fubara and his predecessor, current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

Presidency sources told The PUNCH that Tinubu is considering Fubara?s return to office after a closed-door reconciliation meeting held Thursday night at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The meeting was attended by both Fubara and Wike, alongside the suspended Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and several lawmakers.

The Rivers State political crisis escalated on March 18, 2025, when President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the oil-rich state, suspending Governor Fubara, his deputy, and all members of the State House of Assembly for six months. In a national broadcast, Tinubu cited ?disturbing security reports? detailing pipeline vandalism by militants, which he said the governor failed to address. He emphasized that he could not allow the ?grave situation? to persist unchecked.

The roots of the crisis trace back to October 2023, when a power struggle erupted between Fubara and Wike?his political mentor turned rival?over control of Rivers State?s political structures. The dispute led to 27 pro-Wike lawmakers in the House of Assembly initiating impeachment proceedings against Fubara.

President Tinubu previously intervened in the conflict on October 31, 2023, through a peace meeting at the Presidential Villa. However, the agreement collapsed shortly afterward.

In early 2024, the Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt issued an order that allowed four pro-Fubara lawmakers to conduct legislative activities without interference from the pro-Wike faction?further deepening the political divide.

With recent developments suggesting progress in reconciliation efforts, there is growing anticipation that Governor Fubara may soon return to office as part of a broader political settlement aimed at restoring stability in Rivers State.

The Rivers State political crisis was marked by a series of violent incidents, including the bombing of a section of the State House of Assembly complex on the eve of the attempted impeachment of Governor Siminalayi Fubara. Additionally, a dynamite explosion occurred near Hotel Presidential along Aba Road in Port Harcourt during a protest in support of former governor and current FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike. During the disputed Local Government Area (LGA) elections in December 2023, two LGA offices and the All Progressives Congress (APC) secretariat were set ablaze.

In a significant legal development, the Supreme Court reinstated Martins Amaewhule as Speaker and restored the pro-Wike lawmakers as legitimate members of the House.

The court also nullified the LGA elections conducted by the Fubara-led administration in February 2024. Following this, the Assembly gave Fubara a 48-hour ultimatum to re-present the state budget. However, he was denied entry to the Assembly complex, frustrating his efforts to comply.

The political standoff intensified in March when the pro-Wike lawmakers served impeachment notices to Governor Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, citing alleged misconduct. President Tinubu responded on March 18 by declaring a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending the governor, his deputy, and all state lawmakers for an initial six-month period. He appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, former Chief of Naval Staff, as the state?s sole administrator?an action that sparked widespread debate over its legality.

Although Fubara was not expected to be reinstated until the emergency order expired in September, multiple sources within the Presidency have confirmed that Tinubu is prepared to restore the governor to office this month. According to insiders, the decision followed a private reconciliation meeting held Thursday night at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, involving Tinubu, Fubara, Wike, and several lawmakers.

?Fubara is happy with the peace brokered by the President,? a source familiar with the talks said. ?Given the way things have progressed?Fubara and Wike were recently seen riding together and exchanging pleasantries?the deal for Fubara?s return is sealed.?

Responding to inquiries about the expected timing of the reinstatement, a Presidency insider stated, ?At the latest, Fubara should resume as Rivers State Governor this month. Once the President returns from his visits to Saint Lucia and Brazil, he will make the formal announcement.?

President Tinubu departed Abuja on Saturday for a two-nation diplomatic visit. He will attend the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 6?7 after engagements in Saint Lucia.

A separate source confirmed that during the Thursday night meeting, Tinubu personally informed Fubara that he should ?start preparing to return to office? as part of a final reconciliation arrangement with Wike.

While there have been speculations that the governor?s reinstatement may be conditional on his resignation shortly after, a Presidency source dismissed this. ?That?s not true. No such condition was given. In every conflict resolution, there are terms, but asking Fubara to resign after being reinstated was never one of them,? the source said.

However, The Cable reports that the reconciliation deal does, in fact, come with significant limitations on Fubara?s authority. According to sources familiar with the agreement, the conditions include: no second term bid for Fubara, no control over local government administration and a general reduction in his political influence.

Another insider added, ?The President made it clear that Rivers cannot afford a prolonged crisis. The deal is about restoring calm?but it comes at a steep cost for Fubara.?

One of the key conditions of the reconciliation agreement between Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, is that Fubara will serve out the remainder of his four-year tenure but will not seek re-election in 2027. In return, all impeachment proceedings initiated against him by the pro-Wike faction of the State House of Assembly will be withdrawn.

As part of the broader political compromise, Wike will reportedly be allowed to nominate the chairmen of all 23 local government areas in the state?a significant concession that effectively restores grassroots political control to the former governor.

In another major term of the agreement, Governor Fubara has agreed to pay all outstanding allowances and entitlements owed to the 27 pro-Wike lawmakers who were previously suspended. These legislators, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, had defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the height of the crisis but continued to occupy their seats in the Assembly?a move that sparked legal disputes and intensified political tensions.

Following a closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, both Wike and Fubara publicly declared the return of peace to Rivers State.

Wike said, ?We have all agreed to work together with the governor, and the governor also agreed to work together with all of us. We are members of the same political family. Yes, just like humans, you have a disagreement, and then you also have time to settle your disagreement?and that has been finally concluded today.?

Governor Fubara echoed the sentiment, stating, ?What we need for the progress of Rivers State is peace, and by the special grace of God, tonight, with the help of the President and the agreement with leaders of the state, peace has returned. We?ll do everything within our power to make sure we sustain it this time around.?

In line with the peace pact, Fubara has reportedly dissolved his core political support groups formed during the crisis, including the ?Simplified Movement? and ?Simplified Elders.? The move is believed to signal his full reintegration into the Wike-led political structure in the state.

Supporters of Fubara had previously identified with the ?Simplified Movement,? while loyalists of the FCT Minister rallied under the ?Wikematics? banner.

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party and former lawmaker, Chief Ogbonna Nwuke, confirmed the suspension of the support groups. Nwuke, who represented Omuma-Etche Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, said the groups were being disbanded to reflect the return to unity within the political family. (The PUNCH)

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