President Bola Tinubu has, again, intervened to halt the escalating feud between Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his predecessor and estranged godfather, Nyesom Wike.
Recall that the political tussle between Wike and Governor Fubara took a new dimension in January after members of the state House of Assembly who are loyal to Wike began impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara. The lawmakers hinged the move on grounds that Fubara has carried out several misconducts including spending unbudgeted funds from the state coffers.
Thisday reports that the president had previously intervened in the rift between Fubara and Wike in December 2023, when he brokered a fragile peace, which broke down soon after, leading the declaration of a six-month emergency rule in the state on March 18, 2025 by Tinubu and suspension of the governor.
However, in the fresh push to restore peace in the state, President Tinubu has ordered an immediate suspension of any impeachment moves against Fubara, but with very strict conditions.
Multiplesources say the President who acted just before departing for an official trip to Türkiye on January 26, laid down the political terms aimed at restoring peace between the two key political actors in Rivers State, a state seen as critical to the president’s re-election in 2027.
The report states that President Tinubu’s intervention came with a blunt message to Governor Fubara that Wike remains the undisputed political leader of the party, whether APC or Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, and must be respected in that regard.
The report mentioned that the president, visibly displeased by the depth of the rift, despite his efforts in the past, warned that continued hostilities would undermine governance in the state and lead to instability, a situation Tinubu said he was not ready to condone.
President Tinubu was also said to have clearly told Wike to back off any impeachment plots against Fubara and allow governance in the state.