Wike, Rivers Assembly Speaker, 23 LG Chairmen Meet Fubara in Port Harcourt

Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has held a fresh meeting with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and the chairmen of the state’s 23 local government areas. The meeting took place on Sunday at the governor’s private residence in Port Harcourt, signalling another step in efforts to ease political tensions in the state.

Wike led a delegation made up largely of lawmakers and local government chairmen. Kingsley Chinda, identified in the report as the All Progressives Congress candidate for the state’s 2027 general election, was also among those present. Fubara’s supporters joined the governor in receiving the delegation.

The visit came about two weeks after Wike led members of the Rainbow Coalition in Rivers State to meet with Fubara. That earlier engagement included Chinda and was part of wider efforts to improve relations between the two political camps. Sunday’s meeting was particularly notable because it marked the first time Wike had visited the governor at his private residence in Port Harcourt.

Details of the latest discussions were not immediately available. However, sources cited in the report said the meeting was intended to build on previous engagements, strengthen reconciliation efforts and explore ways to accommodate Fubara’s loyalists within the state’s changing political arrangement.

The political dispute between Fubara and the Amaewhule-led House of Assembly developed from a prolonged disagreement involving the governor and Wike, his predecessor as Rivers State governor. The conflict deepened in 2023, with lawmakers making two attempts to impeach Fubara. In October that year, part of the state House of Assembly complex along Moscow Road was bombed as tensions between the rival camps escalated.

The crisis later attracted federal intervention. In March 2025, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State for an initial period of six months. The move resulted in the suspension of Fubara, his deputy and members of the state legislature. Tinubu appointed Ibok-Ete Ibas as administrator during the emergency period, before the elected officials subsequently returned to office.

Sunday’s gathering brought together several influential figures associated with the prolonged dispute, including the governor, legislative leaders and all 23 local government chairmen. Their participation could provide a broader platform for negotiations and efforts to restore political stability as the state approaches the 2027 general elections.

However, it remains unclear whether the renewed discussions will produce a lasting settlement. Questions remain over the role of Wike’s political camp in local government leadership, the distribution of political influence and the selection of candidates for the next elections. The extent to which Fubara’s loyalists will be included in any emerging arrangement is also yet to be established.