Wike Meets Fubara in Port Harcourt as Rivers Reconciliation Efforts Gather Pace

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Sunday received Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, at his residence in Port Harcourt as efforts to strengthen their reconciliation gathered momentum.

The meeting was the first between the two politicians since Fubara announced that he would not seek re-election as governor in the 2027 governorship election.

Wike was accompanied by the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Rivers State, Kingsley Chinda, and the Chairman of the Rainbow Coalition reconciliation committee, Magnus Abe.

Fubara attended the meeting with former APC Deputy National Chairman, Sam Jaja.

The meeting came amid renewed efforts to heal the political rift between Wike and Fubara, whose fallout triggered months of political tension and sharply divided the state.

Wike recently declared that the dispute with Fubara was over, saying the governor had agreed to return to the political family that backed his emergence as governor in 2023.

The relationship between the two men deteriorated shortly after Fubara assumed office, resulting in a prolonged political crisis in Rivers State.

The dispute escalated into impeachment proceedings against Fubara by lawmakers loyal to Wike and eventually formed part of the circumstances that preceded President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a six-month state of emergency in the state.

The two camps later reached an agreement, with Fubara joining the APC and aligning himself with the Wike-backed Rainbow Coalition.

Following Wike’s declaration that the political dispute had ended, a reconciliation committee led by Abe was set up to engage Fubara and his supporters.

Fubara has since expressed support for the Rainbow Coalition and endorsed Chinda as his preferred successor in the 2027 governorship election.