President Bola Tinubu’s late-night mediation brings Wike, Fubara, and Rivers Assembly to the table as signs emerge that emergency rule in the state may soon be lifted.
Strong indications emerged Thursday night that the emergency rule currently in place in Rivers State may soon be lifted, following a peace meeting brokered by President Bola Tinubu between the key players in the prolonged political crisis.
The meeting, held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, brought together suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, and other stakeholders from the state.
Images from the closed-door meeting flooded social media, showing President Tinubu in discussions with Fubara, Wike, members of the Rivers Assembly, and other prominent leaders. While official details of the deliberations were not disclosed, the atmosphere appeared cordial, with subsequent photos capturing Fubara, Wike, and other delegates leaving the President’s residence together.
The political rift between Governor Fubara and his former ally, Wike, had escalated over the past months, culminating in Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers on March 18, 2025. The emergency rule saw the suspension of Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and the entire Rivers State House of Assembly, citing rising insecurity and a breakdown in governance.
Before Thursday’s breakthrough, Fubara had made several unsuccessful attempts to resolve the crisis, including multiple visits to President Tinubu both at the Villa and his Lagos residence. Political observers had speculated that Fubara’s potential defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) might have been on the table as part of a soft-landing deal.
Sources familiar with the discussions suggest that Thursday’s meeting marks a major step towards peace, with the President now inclined to lift the emergency rule, possibly in the coming days.
While the full terms of the agreement remain undisclosed, there are growing sentiments that Fubara, having faced significant political isolation, had limited options but to reconcile with Wike and the Assembly to return to full office.
In earlier related developments, Fubara had also met with the suspended Speaker, Martins Amaewhule, and other aggrieved lawmakers. Reports indicated that the meeting ended on a positive note, with Fubara and Amaewhule seen holding hands and laughing—an image many believe symbolizes a fresh start.
The Rivers crisis had drawn national attention, with former Governor Wike publicly admitting he had pushed for Fubara’s outright removal, although Tinubu ultimately pursued a path of temporary intervention rather than total political displacement.
As Rivers State anticipates the formal end of emergency rule, Tinubu’s role as mediator in the conflict appears to have been pivotal in steering the troubled state towards stability and reconciliation.
Further announcements on the status of the emergency rule are expected from the Presidency in the coming days.
