President Bola Tinubu is expected to reinstate suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and members of the State House of Assembly later this month, following a peace agreement brokered between Fubara and his political rival, Minister of the FCT and former governor, Nyesom Wike.
According to sources in the Presidency, the breakthrough followed a closed-door meeting Thursday night at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, attended by Tinubu, Fubara, Wike, suspended Speaker Martin Amaewhule, and other key lawmakers.
The political conflict which began in October 2023 with a power struggle between Fubara and Wike over control of the state’s political machinery.
The situation escalated when 27 pro-Wike lawmakers initiated impeachment proceedings against Fubara.
In March 2025, Tinubu declared a six-month state of emergency in Rivers State, citing rising insecurity and alleged administrative inaction.
Fubara, his deputy, and all Assembly members were suspended, and retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas was appointed as sole administrator.
Earlier mediation attempts failed, and violent incidents such as an explosion at the State Assembly and election-related clashes intensified tensions.
A Supreme Court ruling later reinstated Amaewhule and his group, nullified the 2024 local government elections, and directed Fubara to re-present the state budget, a move blocked by lawmakers.
Though the emergency rule is officially in place until September, Presidency sources indicate that Fubara and the Assembly will be reinstated in July. One source noted, “The President will announce it once he returns from Saint Lucia and Brazil. Fubara has agreed to the terms.”
Under the deal Fubara will not seek re-election in 2027, he will relinquish control of local government administration, Wike will nominate all 23 local government chairmen, and the state will settle outstanding benefits owed to the 27 pro-Wike lawmakers.
In return, the impeachment process against Fubara will be abandoned.
Both camps have publicly affirmed the peace accord. “We’ve agreed to work together again as one political family,” Wike said. Fubara added, “Peace has returned to Rivers. We’ll do all we can to maintain it.”
As part of the reconciliation, Fubara has dissolved his political support groups, including the “Simplified Movement” and “Simplified Elders,” signaling alignment with the Wike-led faction, which had operated under the “Wikematics” platform.
PDP stalwart Chief Ogbonna Nwuke confirmed the move: “The governor gave the directive. Now that peace has returned, unity must follow.”
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