A major political breakthrough unfolded at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday night, June 26, 2025, as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu brokered a peace deal that finally brought Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, to the same table for the first time since their bitter feud exploded in late 2024.
The late-night closed-door meeting, described by insiders as tense but productive, followed months of deepening political unrest in Rivers State that had paralyzed governance and divided the state’s political class. President Tinubu, who declared a state of emergency in the state on March 18, 2025, personally intervened for the second time in six months to halt the crisis from spiraling further.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed the peace talks in a post on X (formerly Twitter) early Friday morning, June 27. He described Tinubu’s role as decisive, stating: “President Tinubu has demonstrated once again that he wants peace for Rivers State… Just like he brokered the December 2023 peace pact, he repeated the same on Thursday night, bringing together the political gladiators for reconciliation.”
The Thursday meeting came just hours after an earlier behind-the-scenes engagement in Abuja between Fubara, Wike, and the Rivers lawmakers, signaling that groundwork for the Presidential intervention had been laid quietly. Sources from the Villa revealed that top security chiefs and influential political stakeholders were also present as observers during the talks.
Key issues tabled reportedly included the reversal of Fubara’s suspension, the reactivation of the House of Assembly, and the withdrawal of legal actions filed by both camps over control of Rivers State political structures. Although no official statement has yet outlined the full resolutions, sources close to the negotiation disclosed that all parties agreed to a ceasefire and a roadmap for restoring normal governance.
Tinubu’s leadership in resolving the impasse has drawn mixed reactions across the country. Supporters hail it as a bold move that saved the state from prolonged instability, while critics argue that the root causes of the political tension remain unresolved. Regardless, social media erupted with photos from the Villa showing Wike, Fubara, and Amaewhule seated together after months of hostile public exchanges.
The nation now awaits an official communiqué from the Presidency detailing the next steps, but for residents of Rivers State who have watched their state unravel in recent months, Thursday’s truce offers a rare moment of relief—and cautious hope for lasting peace.
