By Eric Elezuo

In yet another twist to the lingering crises in the political leadership of Rivers State, the feuding parties comprising the suspended governor, Siminalayi Fubara and his godfather, the immediate past governor, who is also the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has reached a truce.

The contesting politicians have agreed to let bygone be bygone, and allow peace that has eluded the state in over two years, to be restored.

As a proof of the reconciliation, Fubara attended the funeral of Wike’s uncle, Elder Temple Omezurike Onuoha, in Rumuepirikom in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area (LGA) of the state. Both men were seen in jolly good mood, exchanging banters.

But the questions on the lips of many Nigerians, especially Rivers State indigenes include, at what cost? Who bears the brunt of the peace agreement? Who is favoured as the victor? What future lies ahead of the incumbent and what privileges of his did he forgo to allow peace reign?

Recall that things fell apart between Wike and Fubara shortly after the later became governor. It got worse in October when members of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to Wike initiated impeachment proceedings against Fubara.

The governor responded by demolishing the Assembly complex following a suspicious fire, relocating legislative sessions to temporary quarters. Ever since, both men have at daggers drawn, Tinubu intervention notwithstanding, with the administration of the state suffering a setback.

Speaking after a peace meeting brokered by President Bola Tinubu for the umpteenth time, in his Aso Rock residence, a relatively calm Wike, devoid of his usual braggadacio, confirmed that the political rift between him and Fubara has been resolved. The meeting, which was held behind closed doors, was attended by the suspended governor and members of the state house of assembly.

Wike said both camps had reached a final agreement to end hostilities and work in unity.

“We have all agreed to work together with the governor, and the governor also agreed to work together with all of us. We are members of the same political family,” Wike said.

He acknowledged that the crisis had lingered for months, but described the agreement reached as conclusive.

“Yes, just like humans, you have a disagreement, and then you also have a time to settle your disagreement.

“And that has been finally concluded today, and we have come to report to Mr. President, that is what we have agreed. So for me, everything is over,” he said.

“And I enjoin everybody who believes to work with us, to also work together with everybody, that there’s no more acrimony. There’s nothing to say,” he added as he called for calm among political followers.

Fubara, on his part, confirmed the truce, describing the development as a moment of divine intervention and a crucial turning point for Rivers’ State.

“For me, it’s a day we have to thank Almighty God. For me, it’s very important that this day has come to be,” Fubara said.

He emphasised the need for peace to the Rivers state’s development, noting that, “What we need for the progress of Rivers State is peace, and by the special grace of God, this night, with the help of Mr. President and the agreement of the leaders of the state, our leader, peace has returned in Rivers State.”

Fubara also pledged full commitment to preserving the fragile unity achieved during the presidential peace meeting, adding, “We’ll do everything within our power to make sure that we sustain it this time around.”

The Punch, in its report on Saturday quoted sources in the Presidency privy to the deal, as saying that Fubara got the shorter end of the stick as he agreed to complete his ongoing term with a promise not to re-contest in 2027.

“It was one of the issues raised. In fact, it was the main issue. He agreed to conclude his tenure in peace and leave the stage after that,” the paper quoted one source.

“Yes, they reached an agreement yesternight (Thursday). The goal is for peace to return to Rivers State. But I think Fubara got the shorter end of the stick,” yet another source revealed.

The sources added that Fubara also agreed to allow Wike to nominate all the local government chairpersons across the 23 LGAs of the state.

But many has described what happened at Aso Rock as a follow up of the previous peace meeting also brokered by Tinubu in December, 2023, where Fubara was stripped of his powers and privileges as a governor, and handed over to Wike. Others have seen it as surrender, and not a reconciliation

According to a former Rivers State Commissioner for Employment Generation and Economic Empowerment, Dr Leloonu Nwibubasa, what transpired in Abuja was a surrender and not a reconciliation.

“What I see is not reconciliation. What I see is a surrender. In a reconciliation, parties come with their supporters and discussions are made, concessions are made. Where Governor Fubara walked alone to the Presidency without a single of his own supporters, not his deputy, not his Secretary to the State Government, not his Chief of Staff, not his factional Speaker, Victor Oko-Jumbo, and others.

“On the other hand, Wike went with his entire House of Assembly loyalists and elders and you say they went for reconciliation. No, I think Governor Sim was called to surrender and he did.

“And the composition of that visit to Mr President is a story itself and it tells you to what extent these very divisive and vicious Abuja politicians have gone to cow the governor into surrender.

“What it behoves for Rivers people is clear, that the political structures, economic structures and realm of leadership of Rivers State have returned to the old order,” Nwibubasa lamented.

An activist, Deji Adeyanju, also condemned the outcome of the reconciliation meeting, saying that it’s only a trap, and fragile as Wike cannot be trusted.

“From his vow at the PDP convention to abide by the outcome, which he swiftly disregarded, to his betrayal of Dr Peter Odili, a man he once called his political father, and his calculated political attacks on President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Wike’s pattern is clear; he honours only his own ambition.

“Governor Fubara must prepare his mind that this reconciliation is a trap, and not a truce. Wike will not only undermine him now but will breach the agreement on purpose,” Adeyanju said.

Also, the Rivers Emancipation Movement, in a statement signedby its National president, Zoe Tamunotonye, said the reconciliation was not in the interest of the people of the state, saying that any resolution that massaged the ego of “a few selfish individuals and undermined the collective interest of Rivers people will not stand.”

The statement partly read, “This development marks the second Abuja-brokered reconciliation attempt. The first failed to yield any meaningful resolution or address the real causes of the political tension that has paralysed governance and destabilised peace in Rivers State.

“REM unequivocally frowns at this so-called reconciliation in its entirety. It is nothing more than a hollow, self-serving political arrangement that prioritises the narrow interests of a few political actors while completely ignoring the collective pain, sacrifices, and aspirations of the Rivers people. This is not reconciliation—it is a calculated collusion that will fail again.”

But a cross section of others has applauded the move including the Special Adviser to Fubara on Electronic Media, Jerry Omatsogunwa, who stated that the reconciliation would usher in development in the state though he expressed fear that the governor has himself in a position, where he would ‘donate his head’.

“What we are after is anything that will bring about peace and development to Rivers State, it’s not a big task. There has been arrested development, everywhere was dirty, businesses are shutting down, no business, contractors are even moving out of sites,” he said.

Acknowledging that he is holding the shorter part of the stick in the reconciliation, Fubara told his supporters to sheath their swords, and give peace, stressing that the price he is paying for the return is heavy while pledging to follow it through.

He went ahead to disband all supporters group, and promised that he would not abandon them even as he encouraged them to work with Wike.

He said, “I called for this meeting to address you formally, for you to have the first-hand information. It’s not the one you are reading in the paper, it’s not the one you are seeing on social media or wherever, you are now hearing from me.

“We have fought. I think, in my own assessment and in the assessment of anyone here who is genuine in this struggle, you will know that we have done what we need to do. At this point, if you want to be truthful to yourself, the only solution is peace. I did say that there’s no price that is too big for peace; I meant it, and I’m still ready to follow it to the end.

“Nobody can take away the role the FCT Minister, Chief Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, played — that’s the truth. Yes, we might have our differences, but nobody here will say he doesn’t know the role he played. Nobody can wish away the risk he took. Yes, at a point we had our differences and if today there’s need for us to settle, please, anyone who genuinely believes in me should understand that it’s the right thing to do.

“So, my dear fathers, brothers and sisters, no matter the level of peace that a mediator will arrange, the true peace is the one where both of you are sitting down together to say, ‘Yes, this is what we want.’

“At this point, I’ve met him and we have spoken. You can’t take away the fact that he’s hurt, he’s a human being. I also have my own share of pains too.

“If we believe that we are in one family and our interest is to support the President, then what is the issue? If you say you are with us and you believe in me, this is the time for us to show it.

“Because it’s not even about me as a person — it’s about the overall interest of the state. In the midst of this crisis between me and the FCT Minister, look at the projects we’ve initiated. Many have been abandoned.

“We know the progress we would have recorded and the areas that would have been developed. So, there’s need for this peace — that’s the truth.

“I can’t abandon you people — that’s one thing I need to say here. This is the time for me to prove to you that I care for you, and I make my commitment here that whichever way it goes, I will not abandon anybody.

“But the sacrifice that we are going to make for us to achieve this total peace is going to be heavy, and I want everybody to prepare for it.

“Without a total reconciliation — which, by the grace of God, the both of us have gotten to — there’s no way we can make progress in this state. There’s no way the President can come in to save the situation. So, I want to appeal to everyone — I have accepted that we must accept this peace, no matter how it looks, no matter how you feel, we must accept it.

“In my place, there’s a fish they call Atabala — you call it Tilapia. The native Tilapia doesn’t grow big. The mother Tilapia used to tell the kids that if you want to grow up to my own size, hide your head inside the mud. Every one of us should understand that at this time, we’ve done our best, and what we need now is this peace so that we can grow. I know it’s difficult and heavy, but that’s the true situation.”

Fubara, who had talked tough in the first 18 months of the crises in the infamous war of supremacy aimed at controlling the state’s political structure and resources, suddenly became a shadow of himself following the February 28, 2025 Supreme Court judgment, which condemned his actions, and paved the way for Wike and his 26 controlled house of assembly members led by Hon Martins Amaewhule.

The Wike camp secured an upper hand with the verdict, which practically gave Wike and his team judgment, leaving Governor Fubara in the cold of uncertainty, waving in limbo, eating a humble pie and offering the olive branch in the war of attrition. Of course, Wike and his gang conscientiously rejected all his overtures.

Matters took a dramatic turn on March 18, 2025, when President Tinubu waved the big stick, and declared a state of emergency in state, suspending the governor, his deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu and the entire members of the House of Assembly. Fubara was replaced by a sole administrator, a former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd.).

With the said peace deal, the full content of which is still unknown to the public, concluded, Nigerians look forward to the time a reversal of the state of emergency will be announced.