We Have Agreed To Work Together - Wike, Fubara Declare

We Have Agreed To Work Together – Wike, Fubara Declare

After months of tension that cast a shadow over Rivers State’s political terrain, a much-anticipated resolution appears within reach. In a development many hope will mark a final turning point, the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, announced that he and the suspended Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, have reached a truce and agreed to collaborate to work together.

Wike, speaking following a high-stakes meeting with Fubara, President Bola Tinubu, and the suspended members of the Rivers Assembly at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, acknowledged past disagreements but emphasized that unity has now prevailed.

“We have all agreed to work together with the governor, and the governor has also agreed to work with all of us,” he affirmed, casting the reconciliation as a long-awaited moment of healing.

“We are members of the same political family,” he added. “As with any family, disputes may arise—but just as surely, there comes a time to mend fences. That moment, we believe, has come. We met with Mr. President to reaffirm this understanding.”

On his part, Fubara hailed the truce brokered by the president, explaining peace was needed for Rivers State to move forward.

“For me, it’s a day we have to thank Almighty God. For me, it’s very important that this day has come to be,” the suspended governor said.

Continuing, he said: “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, peace has returned in Rivers State.”

A previous peace deal between the parties brokered by Mr Tinubu in 2023, which later collapsed, made the parties resume hostilities in Rivers State.

But Mr Fubara vowed that the latest truce would be sustained in the oil-rich South-south state.

“We’ll do everything within our power to make sure that we sustain it (the truce) this time around,” he assured of the fresh peace deal.

Meanwhile, details of the agreements reached by the parties remain unclear as of press time.

It is also unclear if Mr Fubara and the assembly members would be reinstated before the expiration of the six-month suspension issued by Mr Tinubu.

The announcement has stirred cautious optimism across the state, as residents and stakeholders look forward to lasting peace and restored governance.

The FCT Minister, who is the immediate past governor of the state, said, “For me, everything is over and in joy – all of everybody who believes to work with us, to also work together with everybody – that there is no more acrimony. There is nothing to say we are disagreeing. We have all agreed on everything, so we thank Almighty God.”

Tinubu suspended Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the Rivers State Assembly in March for a period of six months, following failed efforts to resolve the months-long political crisis in the coastal state.

He declared a state of emergency in the state and appointed Ibok-Ete Ibas to oversee the affairs of the oil-producing state.

After Thursday’s late meeting with Fubara, Wike, and the suspended lawmakers, the suspended governor said the move signals a return to peace in Rivers State.

The meeting is the second time Tinubu and Fubara have met since the president suspended him for six months.

Earlier in June, Fubara paid homage to the president in his Lagos residence during Tinubu’s two-week stay in the nation’s commercial nerve centre.

Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga posted photos of the duo during the meeting.

“Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers, now on suspension from office, visited President Bola Tinubu in Lagos on Tuesday,” Onanuga captioned the photos he posted on his X handle.

Fubara’s suspension, alongside his deputy and members of the House of Assembly, drew condemnation from Nigerians, parties, groups and political heavyweights in the country, including opposition leaders Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, the Labour Party (LP), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Nigerian Bar Association, the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), among others.

However, Tinubu insisted the move was in the best interest of the state and nation.

For over one year, Wike and his estranged ex-political godson, Fubara, were at loggerheads over the control of the political structure of the state.

Rivers Assembly lawmakers, led by Martin Amaewhule, a camp loyal to Wike, had threatened to impeach Fubara over his alleged inability to implement a Supreme Court ruling on the political situation in the state.

The situation became heated with pipeline explosions reported in the state. That prompted Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Rivers.

Tinubu based his decision on Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, saying he can’t continue to watch the political situation in Rivers escalate without taking any action.

However, a clip showed the parties who have been at loggerheads, trading allegations for months, in a more friendly and jovial mood, marked by handshakes, smiles, and photos after the meeting with Tinubu.

While President Tinubu did not speak after the meeting, there are indications that the end may be in sight for the state of emergency imposed on the coastal state.