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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike, on Monday, May 12, revealed details of a recent reconciliation meeting with suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara in Abuja. Fubara was accompanied by two unidentified governors from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking at a media briefing, Wike expressed doubts about Fubara’s ability to foster genuine peace amid the ongoing Rivers political crisis. “I told him I don’t think you really have the capacity to make this peace,” Wike said, noting that Fubara’s calls for reconciliation are undermined by his supporters’ public attacks on television and social media.
Wike emphasised that true peace requires more than private meetings or rhetoric. He urged Fubara to engage key stakeholders, including the Rivers State House of Assembly, party leaders, and community figures, for sincere and collective action. “If you are making peace, your people are demonstrating every day. If you are making peace, your people are busy on television insulting people,” he stated.
The political crisis intensified after President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency on March 18, 2025, suspending Fubara, Deputy Governor Professor Ngozi Odu, and the state Assembly, and appointing Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd) as Sole Administrator for six months.
Wike stressed that Fubara must take tangible steps and broaden outreach beyond symbolic gestures to achieve lasting reconciliation.
