In a significant move to solidify the fragile peace recently restored to Rivers State, Governor Siminalayi Fubara met with his predecessor, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and a large contingent of Wike’s political loyalists in a late-night closed-door session on Saturday.
The meeting, which stretched into the early hours of Sunday, was hosted at the Port Harcourt residence of elder statesman, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba.
The high-level engagement marks an intensified effort by Governor Fubara to uphold the peace accord that ended months of debilitating political hostility and followed the recent cessation of a six-month state of emergency declared by President Bola Tinubu.
While specific details of the discussions were not officially disclosed, the meeting’s primary objective was understood to be aligning the state’s executive and legislative arms with the terms of the presidential peace deal and consolidating the prevailing calm.
The gathering was notably attended by a formidable group of political heavyweights loyal to the FCT Minister, underscoring the governor’s commitment to inclusive governance and political reconciliation.
Key attendees included the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule, several serving and former Senators such as Barinada Mpigi, Magnus Abe, Wilson Ake, George Sekibo, and Olaka Nwogu, and other prominent figures like the APC South-South Vice Chairman, Victor Giadom, and the PDP State Chairman, Chukwuemeka Aaron.
The inclusion of the Speaker, whose position was key to the legislative crisis, suggests a renewed push for harmonious working relations between the Executive and the Legislature—a core requirement for full democratic stability following the state of emergency.
This latest move to consolidate peace comes swiftly after Governor Fubara, in a valedictory session held last Wednesday, directed commissioners affected by a Supreme Court ruling on the state’s political structure to step down.
The Governor is widely expected to form a new cabinet in the coming days, and the closed-door discussions with Wike and his allies are believed to have focused on brokering consensus over the new list of commissioner nominees, a critical point of contention in previous peace negotiations.
Both the Governor and the FCT Minister have recently publicly reaffirmed their commitment to the peace process, which has been directly supervised by President Tinubu.
The President, who recently ended the emergency rule, has repeatedly stressed that peace and political order are essential for delivering effective governance in the oil-rich state.
The outcome of the Saturday meeting is crucial, as political observers view it as a litmus test for the long-term sustainability of the peace accord.
For the people of Rivers State, the continued engagement between the two principal actors offers hope that political stability, which has eluded the state for over a year, is finally taking root, allowing governance to refocus on development and security.