Wike hosts Fubara in first meeting since Rivers governor shelved re-election bid

Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory
(FCT), received Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers, at his residence in Port
Harcourt on Sunday.

 

The meeting is the first between the two politicians since
Fubara announced that he would not seek a second term as governor of the state.

Wike was joined by Kingsley Chinda, the All Progressives
Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Rivers, and Magnus Abe, chairman of
the Rainbow Coalition reconciliation committee.

Sam Jaja, former deputy national chairman of the APC,
accompanied Fubara to the meeting.

The meeting comes amid efforts to consolidate the
reconciliation between Wike and Fubara following their prolonged political
feud.

Wike recently announced that Fubara had agreed to return to
the political family that supported his emergence as governor of Rivers.

The relationship between the two men deteriorated shortly
after Fubara assumed office in 2023, resulting in a political crisis that
polarised the state.

The dispute saw lawmakers loyal to Wike initiate impeachment
proceedings against Fubara and eventually led to President Bola Tinubu
declaring a six-month state of emergency in Rivers.

The two camps eventually reached a truce, with Fubara
joining the APC and aligning with the Rainbow Coalition backed by Wike.

Following Wike’s declaration that the feud had ended, a
reconciliation committee headed by Abe was constituted to engage Fubara and his
supporters.

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

He also backed Tinubu for re-election and urged his
supporters to support the president and candidates of the coalition.

Fubara had initially been screened alongside Chinda for the
APC governorship primary but later withdrew from the race, saying his decision
was made in the interest of peace and unity in Rivers.

Chinda, who was the sole aspirant after Fubara’s withdrawal,
subsequently emerged as the APC governorship candidate.

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