President Bola Tinubu has agreed to reinstate Siminalayi Fubara as the governor of Rivers state — but with the condition that he will not seek re-election in 2027.
TheCable reports that the ttruce was reached during a closed-door meeting on
Thursday night at the Presidential Villa, where Tinubu hosted Nyesom Wike,
minister of the federal capital territory (FCT); Fubara; Martin Amaewhule, the
suspended speaker of the Rivers assembly; and a handful of lawmakers.
Presidency sources say the deal, part of a broader effort to
restore democratic order in Rivers, involves significant concessions.
According to insiders, one of the key terms is that Fubara
will be reinstated to complete his four-year tenure but must forgo any plans to
seek a second term in 2027 — a move that will limit his clout but to which he
agreed.
A source said, as part of the conditions, Wike would be
allowed to nominate all the local government chairpersons across the 23 LGAs of
the state.
A source in the presidency said this would serve as
significant political leverage, restoring grassroots control to the FCT
minister.
TheCable also repors that Fubara has also agreed to pay all
outstanding allowances and entitlements owed to the 27 lawmakers loyal to Wike
who were suspended from the state assembly.
In return, the lawmakers will not initiate any impeachment
proceedings against him.
The suspended legislators — led by Amaewhule — had defected
to the All Progressives Congress (APC) amid the power tussle but continued to
lay claim to their seats.
Their status as lawmakers has been a subject of legal and
political debate.
Sources described Thursday night’s meeting as a breakthrough in Tinubu’s push to reconcile Wike and the governor — but at the cost of Fubara giving up significant powers in exchange for political survival.
“The arrangement is clear: no second term, no local
government control, and peace will return,” the source said.
“The president made it clear that Rivers cannot afford a
prolonged crisis. The deal is about restoring calm, but it comes at a steep
cost for Fubara,” another source said.
“Wike is the real winner here. By controlling the local
government chairmen, he retains significant influence over the state’s
political machinery, which will be crucial for 2027.”
THE WIKE-FUBARA FACE-OFF
The political rift between Fubara and Wike, his predecessor,
has largely centred on control of the political structure in the oil-rich
state.
While Wike has sought to maintain a firm grip on the
political machinery he built over eight years in office as governor, Fubara had
pushed back to assert his control as governor.
The power struggle triggered a political crisis in the
state, destabilising governance, culminating in attempts to impeach Fubara.
Key institutions, including the state assembly, have been
caught in the crossfire, with factions aligning with Wike or Fubara.
Previously attempts by Tinubu to broker peace between the
two camps hit a brick wall.
Consequently, on March 18, Tinubu declared a state of
emergency in Rivers, citing the prolonged political crisis.
He also suspended Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu; and all
members of the Rivers assembly for a period of six months.
The president appointed Ibok-Ette Ibas, a retired naval
chief, as the state’s sole administrator.
By September, Fubara will have completed his six-month
suspension.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com