Presidential Intervention Signals Possible End to Wike–Fubara Rift

Following a late-night engagement with President Bola Tinubu on Sunday, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, were seen leaving the Presidential Villa together, according to insiders familiar with the meeting.

Presidency sources disclosed that the two men, who have been locked in a bitter political standoff, did not arrive at the Villa at the same time. However, after discussions mediated by the President, both leaders exited the premises in one vehicle.

Those close to the talks said the joint departure was widely interpreted as a deliberate signal of reconciliation, or at least a softening of tensions that have defined their rivalry for months.

“As far as arrival was concerned, they came separately. But when the meeting ended, they left together. In politics, that kind of gesture is not accidental,” one source remarked.

Another source confirmed the meeting, saying, “Yes, he met them yesterday night. It is true.

 The two of them settled. He talked to two of them. But I can’t tell you what he said.”

The Nation had first reported the meeting early on Monday, noting that Fubara accompanied Wike to his Guzape residence in Abuja afterwards.

The meeting is being viewed as a possible breakthrough in the Rivers State political crisis, which has stalled governance in the oil-producing state for close to two years.

The rift between Wike and his former protégé, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, erupted soon after Fubara assumed office in May 2023.