₦airaland Forum

President Bola Tinubu has again intervened to halt the escalating political crisis in Rivers State, stepping in to stop impeachment moves against Governor Siminalayi Fubara amid his prolonged feud with his predecessor and estranged political godfather, Nyesom Wike, Very Nigerian exclusively reports.

The fresh intervention followed months of failed reconciliation efforts that plunged the oil-rich state into political instability, legislative paralysis and threats to democratic governance.

Highly placed sources told Journalists that Tinubu acted shortly before departing Nigeria for an official visit to Türkiye on January 26, ordering an immediate suspension of all impeachment actions against Fubara, but with strict political conditions attached.

The president had previously intervened in December 2023, brokering a fragile truce between both camps.

That agreement later collapsed, culminating in the declaration of a six-month emergency rule in Rivers State on March 18, 2025, during which Governor Fubara was suspended.

Tinubu Lays Down Terms

According to sources familiar with the latest peace deal, Tinubu made it clear that Wike remains the undisputed political leader in Rivers State, irrespective of party affiliations, and must be accorded due recognition.

The president was said to be visibly displeased with the depth of the crisis, warning that continued hostilities would undermine governance and threaten stability in a state considered critical to his 2027 re-election strategy.

Tinubu reportedly directed Wike to immediately halt all impeachment-related plots against Fubara and allow governance to proceed unhindered.

At the same time, the president issued a firm warning to Fubara, insisting that political seniority and structures must be respected. One source quoted Tinubu as drawing a comparison with Lagos State politics, saying:

“Is Babajide Sanwo-Olu my leader in Lagos, or was Babatunde Fashola my leader when he was governor?”

The president was said to have stressed that personal disagreements do not erase political hierarchy, adding that Wike should be treated as an elder statesman in Rivers politics.

Roots of the Crisis

Fubara and Wike’s relationship deteriorated shortly after the governor’s swearing-in in May 2023, despite Wike having played a decisive role in his emergence as governor.

The rift deepened as Fubara attempted to assert his independence, resisting what his allies describe as Wike’s continued control of state affairs from Abuja. This struggle for dominance split political actors in the state, with the majority of lawmakers aligning with Wike.

Repeated impeachment attempts against Fubara by the pro-Wike faction of the House of Assembly have kept the governor under constant threat, with several mediation efforts failing to produce lasting peace.

While Wike’s camp accuses Fubara of betrayal and political ingratitude, the governor’s supporters argue that Rivers State cannot be governed remotely by a former governor now serving as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

Assembly Elections and Party Control

As part of the latest peace arrangement, Tinubu reportedly directed that Wike’s loyalists be recognised by the APC leadership in the upcoming Rivers State House of Assembly bye-elections.

Sources said the president explicitly stated that candidates backed by Wike for the Ahoada East II and Khana II constituencies must be accommodated by the party structure.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed February 21, 2026, for the by-elections. The Ahoada East II seat became vacant following the resignation of its occupant, Edison Ehie, who was appointed Chief of Staff to Governor Fubara, while the Khana II seat has remained vacant since the death of its lawmaker, Dinebari Loolo, in September 2023.

Second-Term Question Deferred

Sources disclosed that the sensitive issue of Fubara’s second-term ambition also arose during discussions but was deliberately deferred. Tinubu reportedly described any conversation around the 2027 governorship race as premature.

Despite Wike’s influential role, the situation remains politically complex, as he is officially still a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, even while serving as a key minister in the APC-led federal government.

LagosOrigin:
Tinubu has finally thrown Wike under the bus 😂
Fubara is going for second term and tinubu has told Wike and and his rivers state assembly loyalists to forget about impeaching the governor immediately.


Fubara 5

Wike 1

LagosOrigin:
Tinubu has finally thrown Wike under the bus 😂
Fubara is going for second term and tinubu has told Wike and and his rivers state assembly loyalists to forget about impeaching the governor immediately.


Fubara 5

Wike 1

One source quoted Tinubu as drawing a comparison with Lagos State politics, saying:

“Is Babajide Sanwo-Olu my leader in Lagos, or was Babatunde Fashola my leader when he was governor?”

LagosOrigin:
Tinubu has finally thrown Wike under the bus 😂
Fubara is going for second term and tinubu has told Wike and and his rivers state assembly loyalists to forget about impeaching the governor immediately.


Fubara 5

Wike 1

OLOKOESHIN:
So daft indeed
Read with open mind

AMINDA:
So Tinubu is playing politics of different strokes for different folks? Where then is the fairness and what's the political ideology of the APC under Tinubu. Shettima goes to all the other states to say that governors are the political leaders of their states but in Rivers, Wike is a sacred cow right? Posterity will not be on the side of Tinubu and the rest of the snake oil merchants.

djseanjohn77:
.

The governor is the head and the leader of the people of the State, but there is always the structural leader that do not allow the structure of the State to collapse, many of you GenZ will never understand party structure. PDP collapsed because people like Obasanjo, Atiku, Jonathan were selfish, no true leader in their party or State. They rather allow their wish reign rather than hold the structure together. if the party will fall, let it fall, if the State will collapse, let it collapse syndrome..... Against all odds, Lagos has remain undefeated by any party because the structure is in place, governors come and go, but the structure must stand. That is what Tinubu is trying to break down to them both.

onatisi:
The party is bigger than any single individual and if Tinubu wants to keep all APC structures intact , he can't have different rules for different states , that will spell doom. As far as APC is concerned , the leader of APC in any state is the governor . And Wike can't see himself even on paper having fubara as his political leader .

Seeplusplus:
The source of this news isn't credible

OLOKOESHIN:
So daft indeed
Read with open mind