…Confirms reconciliation with Rivers governor
…Says political crisis no longer exists in the state
…Warns critics against fueling fresh division
By Sodiq Adelakun
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, has declared that he has forgiven the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, insisting that the long-running political crisis between the two men is now over.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Wike confirmed that he personally spoke with Governor Fubara on Wednesday, just before President Bola Tinubu lifted the six-month emergency rule imposed on Rivers State.
On his words: “I have already said that we’ve been speaking. I will not engage with a man I have not forgiven. Everything is over. I am not a politician who says one thing today and another tomorrow. We must move forward,”
The former Rivers governor, who had been locked in a bitter standoff with his successor since March, said he was satisfied that peace had returned and that all stakeholders in the state were now committed to moving forward.
He added: “As I speak to you, as of yesterday, I spoke to the Governor. I told him I was leaving that night to come back, and he told me he was leaving this morning.
“So, I can tell you that, by the grace of God, peace has returned. And look at what the Assembly did today to set the tone you can see peace; you can see we are prepared, for the interest of the state. Let’s move forward.”
“Unfortunately, there are people who do not want peace.
“Today, I watched individuals twisting the law, claiming illegality in the conduct of local government elections. But ask them: what did they do to prevent such illegality in the first place? When you hear them pontificating and shouting, you would think they have solutions—yet they do nothing except attempt to create crisis.”
Nigerian NewsDirect reports that in March 2025, President Tinubu suspended Governor Fubara, his deputy Mrs Ngozi Odu, and the Rivers State House of Assembly following a protracted power tussle between Wike and his successor.
The six-month emergency rule threw the state into political uncertainty and deepened divisions within the ruling party structure.
“The president has done a great deal for us, and peace has been restored,” Wike reiterated.
