Since March 18, 2025 when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared a state of emergency, there has been relative peace in Rivers State.
The eventual suspension of Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Prof Ngozi Ordu, and the entire Legislative Arm of government is the biggest setback that may likely affect the economy and other social fabrics of the state.
For close to two months, Fubara has been stripped of the paraphernalia of office as governor elected by his people in 2023.
Having understood what it means to stay inactive without political power for this long, the suspended governor has chosen to go full throttle to seek for genuine peace with his mentor, Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
It was reported that on April 18, Fubara came down from his high horse and went to meet Wike in his Abuja residence to ask for forgiveness.
Why the suspended governor chose to meet with the Minister in the company of some respected Yoruba political leaders like Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State and former Governor Segun Osoba, among others, other than the elders in Rivers State, is relatively understandable.
The FCT Minister believes that some of the elders in Rivers State were those stoking the embers of crisis between him and Fubara.
Political problems
These elders, nearly all of them, had political problems with Wike in 2023 because of the presidential candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in the run-up to the general elections.
After the PDP presidential congress, where Atiku emerged as the favorite to confront the APC candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Wike felt betrayed and refused to support Atiku.
A time was also when Wike thought he could be compensated with the running mate slot, again, PDP backtracked and went for Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, then governor of Delta State.
Okowa has since defected to the APC he contested against as the PDP vice presidential candidate.
Recall that the Atiku supporters had all abandoned Rivers and relocated to Abuja to give support to his dream of becoming the next President.
Wike was the man alone at home showcasing Fubara in the campaigns to become governor.
Some of the Atiku supporters openly condemned the choice of Fubara as governor, wondering what political sense Wike was mooting to play up a political neophyte as the next governor of a sensitive state like Rivers.
While Wike attempted to calibrate his political structure in support of Tinubu of APC, the likes of Prince Uche Secondus, a former National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Abiye Sekibo, Sir Celestine Omehia, Rt. Hon Austin Opara, Senator Lee Meaba and Tele Ikuru, among others, formed a formidable political bloc against Wike in the state.
But when the table turned and Wike became the FCT Minister and relocated to Abuja, these elders took the reverse flight back to Port Harcourt and suddenly began to give Fubara the energy to stand up to a man who made him governor against all odds.
This set of politicians formed what looked like an iron cast structure for Fubara with a deliberate design to castigated Wike in the war against then governor.
This same bloc of politicians was alleged to have asked the governor to have a rethink in his implementation of the 8-point peace agreement initiated by President Tinubu. This presidential move could have, according to some analysts, ushered peace into the state a long time ago.
Nevertheless, in his wisdom, Fubara has come to clearly realize that only genuine peace devoid of intrigues can resolve the lingering political tension in Rivers.
This explains why he has chosen to walk the path of peace alone without the involvement of the Rivers elders.
Undoubtedly, the suspended governor has seen that Wike has what it takes to take the fight to its conclusion which was initiated to end in impeachment but the intervention of the president with the tool of state of emergency to stop what would have been the end of Fubara’s political career.
Wike has the financial war-chest. He enjoys the backing of Tinubu. He is a master strategist in all forms and shapes.
Dealing with a man of this political caliber would only call for wisdom and that is exactly what Fubara chose to do even if it meant standing alone.
In his last media chat in Abuja, Wike had made it clear that if Fubara should genuinely apologize to him, he would let go. A fortnight ago, the governor made a trip to London enroute Frankfurt, Germany where he met with the president in a closed door meeting.
Details
The details of their discussion in that meeting were not divulged but close sources believe that it was the prelude to a symbiotic agreement for the betterment of Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 while Fubara returns as governor.
Having met with the president, Fubara never rested on his oars.
He went on a remorseful visit to Wike to let him know how sorry he was and begged for forgiveness.
It is not clear what lies in the offing after the two high stake meetings.
But Nigerians are of the opinion that having shown sufficient regrets for his actions or inactions, Fubara deserves to be reinstated.
There are speculations that Tinubu, who is alleged to be under intense pressure by prominent Nigerians, may reinstate the suspended governor by May 29. “Everything is in the realm of speculations”, said Prince Ogbonna Nwuke, a former member of the House of Representatives.
“I think as a democrat, the president should use the May 29, which is a big day in our country’s political history, to convince the whole world that he is indeed a true democrat by reinstating Governor Fubara , his deputy and the House of Assembly”.
On her part, Ann Kio Briggs, spokesperson for Ijaw Republican Assembly, IRA, believes that reinstatement of Fubara on May 29 would make more sense to the people of the state.
“He has to be reinstated on May 29, being Democracy Day, so that the governor can join his colleague governors to celebrate his second year in office”.
Briggs explained that the entire Rivers people will appreciate Tinubu if he could “bring back our governor on May 29. That is our Democracy Day. It will bring a lot of succor to the people of the state who have suffered as a result of the crisis in the past two years”.
History
Corroborating the IRA’s spokesperson, the President of Ijaw National Congress, INC, Prof Benjamin Okaba, said Tinubu would make history if he reinstates Fubara on May 29 as with stringent lines drawn to demarcate power play between the two warring factions.
“Fubara’s visits to the President and Wike are welcome developments. The president can make history by returning Fubara earlier than expected”, he said.
“Besides, he should make himself the president of all Nigerians, not to a particular person. Let the Minister mind his job in Abuja and allow the Rivers people to enjoy the governor they voted for.
“I am not interested whether Fubara wants to defect to APC or not. After all, our politicians do not have ideology. And the country is cascading to a one party state. “What we want is his return to power for the interest of Rivers people”.
For Dr. Joseph Ambakederimo, Convener of the South-South Reawakening Group, SSRG, “Fubara has shown that he is a man of peace. He has shown enough remorse and deserves to return to his duty post.
“The stakes are high. Expectations are also high. Nigerians are eagerly waiting to hear what Mr. President will have to tell us on Democracy Day.
“I know that the president won’t disappoint. Our prayer is that Fubara should be returned to power. I was privileged to meet with him recently in Port Harcourt and I saw a man who was ready to do anything for the sake of peace”.
Agreement
More than anything else, what is more worrisome to the Rivers people is the terms of agreement between the FCT Minister and the suspended governor for the return of peace in the state and his subsequent return to power.
There are speculations that appointment of commissioners must be shared in a formula that will give the Abuja bloc a comfortable stand.
This same formula will apply to the appointment of all offices when normal democratic institutions are restored.
For local government elections which were earlier scheduled to be conducted on August 9, “the Minister’s interest will be highly protected”, a source privy to the arrangement hinted.
“The template has been set already. There is a change in the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC.
“Interested contestants would be selected, it does not matter which political parties they belong. They will be there to serve the interest of those who nominated them”.
How then will Fubara’s second coming to office look like? Is he going to be a puppet governor who will dance whenever the string is pulled from outside the state?
What will be the political fate of the Atiku supporters (elders) when normalcy returns and Fubara returns to the saddle? All eyes are on May 29 while Nigerians sit on edge.
