Over the previous month, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has intensified a number of conferences with Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his supporters to consolidate reconciliation between their political camps forward of the 2027 basic election. But will the rapprochement work? Davidson Iriekpen asks
It gained’t be improper to describe the present scenario between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, as a case of the rejected stone rising because the cornerstone. With Wike’s current conferences with the governor, one can solely deduce that the highly effective minister is consuming the humbling pie by his strikes to get Fubara to play a vital function within the Rainbow Coalition he arrange to reelect President Bola Tinubu and set up Kingsley Chinda as governor in 2027.
The newest signal of Wike’s desperation was seen up to now week when the minister once more led members of the State House of Assembly and the 23 native authorities chairmen within the state to a recent assembly with the governor in continuation of the efforts to consolidate reconciliation between each political camps.
The Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate within the state, Chinda, had been amongst those that accompanied Wike to the assembly.
The assembly, held at Fubara’s personal residence in Port Harcourt, got here barely two weeks after political leaders loyal to each males met on the similar venue.
At the assembly, Wike urged supporters of Fubara to mobilise voters and make sure the state ranks among the many prime three states with the very best votes for President Tinubu within the 2027 elections. He stated a robust electoral efficiency for Tinubu would place the South-south state for extra federal appointments, infrastructure growth and better political affect on the nationwide stage.
“All I want to hear in this state is Tinubu and nothing but Tinubu. If we play the role we are playing now, and we are one of the first three states that get the highest number of votes, we will get more of the appointments,” he stated.
The 2027 presidential election notably, means loads to Wike. Recall that not too long ago, he public declared why Tinubu should win the ballot as a result of, in accordance him, if Atiku Abubakar or Peter Obi wins the election, they’d come after him.
To perceive why the minister’s newest transfer has caught critics’ consideration one has to hint the origin of the political feud between him and Fubara. They as soon as had a godfather and godson relationship till Fubara determined to be a person answerable for his authorities and never one other stooge. What he nonetheless didn’t anticipate was the facility that Wike wields.
Wike, who isn’t any odd godfather, went to nice lengths to humiliate the governor.
Their disagreement, which started shortly after Fubara assumed workplace in 2023, triggered a protracted political disaster that divided the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Tensions escalated in October 2023, when a fireplace incident broken a part of the meeting complicated amid the dispute between each camps. Lawmakers loyal to Wike subsequently initiated impeachment proceedings towards Fubara, deepening the confrontation between the manager and legislative arms of presidency.
The disaster ultimately led President Tinubu to declare a six-month emergency in Rivers State in March 2025, ensuing within the suspension of the governor, his deputy and members of the state meeting.
Wike had not too long ago introduced an finish to the feud, saying Fubara had agreed to return to the political household that supported his emergence as governor. This was the identical governor he made certain that the APC screened out of the ruling celebration’s major election, forcing him to withdraw from the race. Chinda subsequently emerged because the APC’s sole candidate for the governorship election.
Therefore, it’s so ironic that the identical FCT minister is desperately in want of Fubara, whom he had repeatedly denigrated and tried to take away from workplace on many events.
Last Monday, the extraordinary troubleshooting efforts by Wike with Fubara continued, with the state meeting reversing its earlier determination to declare the seats of three lawmakers who supported the state governor vacant.
At the meeting’s sitting, the 27 lawmakers led by Amaewhule resolved not solely to rescind its menace towards the Fubara-backed lawmakers, however to readmit them inside their fold. This is a call seen as important to the peace course of, which has since begun between the 2 camps.
The pro-Fubara lawmakers, whose seats had been earlier marked to be declared vacant, included Victor Oko-Jumbo, representing Bonny Constituency; Sokari Goodboy Sokari, Ahoada West; and Orubienimigha Timothy, Opobo/Nkoro Constituency.
The meeting’s determination adopted letters dated October 16, 2026 from the three lawmakers, which had been learn on the ground of the meeting throughout plenary.
In the letter, the lawmakers requested that they be known as again into the meeting to proceed their legislative duties.
It can be recalled that the meeting had, on October 30, 2023, within the warmth of the political disaster, suspended the three lawmakers alongside Hon. Edison Ehie for alleged misconduct. Ehie, who later turned the Chief of Staff to the governor, had resigned his membership of the meeting within the warmth of the disaster, permitting for a by-election in his constituency.
The trio’s suspension was, nonetheless, lifted on December 20, 2023, after the primary peace assembly initiated by President Tinubu between Wike and Governor Fubara. But following the failure of the three lawmakers to attend sittings after their suspension was lifted, their seats had been then declared vacant on October 15, 2025, by the Amaewhule-led meeting consistent with part 109 sub 1 (e) of the Constitution.
The meeting had consequently written to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a by-election to fill the vacant seats. But throughout final Monday’s plenary, Speaker Amaewhule learn the letters from every of the three lawmakers explaining that they by no means noticed the letter lifting their suspension earlier, which was the rationale they didn’t attend the sitting and appealed for the House to rescind its determination.
The meeting’s determination may not be unconnected with Sunday’s assembly between Wike, the lawmakers, Chairmen of Local Government Areas and different leaders of the coalition with Governor Fubara and members of his crew. The lingering query, nonetheless, is: Can Fubara genuinely reconcile with a person who, on many events, publicly denigrated and humiliated him, tried to impeach him, instigated his suspension for six months, denied him a second time period in workplace, changed his native authorities officers, and denied his loyalists tickets to contest House of Assembly seats?
Political analysts consider this can be a delicate path to reconciliation – one which the governor have to be strategic about and tread neatly.
There is little doubt that the peace talks are largely pushed by Wike’s political pursuits, notably now that he has been assigned to lead President Tinubu’s re-election marketing campaign. They might also be geared toward limiting the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC)’s impression on the presidential and governorship elections in Rivers.
How this may pan out, nonetheless, stays to be seen. If Fubara accepts the olive department and helps Wike’s marketing campaign, some might interpret his actions as an indication of weak point. But if he performs his playing cards properly, he might emerge with multiple political victory.
