Tinubu meets Fubara in Lagos

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has met with the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara in Lagos amidst the ongoing efforts and behind the scene movement to restore democracy in Rivers State.

The meeting took place on Tuesday at the Lagos residence of President Tinubu. 

The meeting is coming amidst reconciliation efforts said to be underway between the suspended governor and his estranged godfather, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike. 

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Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy confirmed the meeting in a post on his Facebook page on Tuesday evening. 

However, details of the meeting were still sketchy as at the time of filing this report. 

Background

The political impasse in Rivers State started few months after the governor assumed office over what many political analysts said were irreconcilable differences between  Fubara and his predecessor, Wike. 

Wike supported Fubara to become the governor of Rivers State having served under him as the Accountant General of the State. 

The battle for control of resources of the oil rich state, local government areas and appointments were some of the issues said to have led to the fracas between the once political allies. 

The crisis snowballed into the State House of Assembly where members were also factionalized along Wike/ Fubara camps. 

The controversy over the report of majority of the members defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC) led to a prolonged litigation before the intervention of the Supreme Court which declared that the lawmakers were still members of the Assembly. 

However, efforts at reconciliation after the Supreme Court judgement between the lawmakers and Fubara failed, and with threat of impeachment and anarchy looming in the state, President Tinubu intervened with a state of emergency and suspended the governor, his deputy and the members of the State Assembly. 

State of emergency, suspension of Fubara

In March, after a meeting with Service Chiefs on the situation in Rivers at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, President Tinubu declared a State of Emergency in the state. 

In a nationwide broadcast, President Tinubu said he was disturbed at the turn of events regarding the political crisis in Rivers State.

“I have watched with concern the development with the hope that the parties involved would allow good sense to prevail at the soonest, but all that hope burned out without any solution to the crisis.

“With the crisis persisting, there is no way democratic governance, which we have all fought and worked for over the years, can thrive in a way that will rebound to the benefit of the good people of the state. The state has been at a standstill since the crisis started, with the good people of the state not being able to have access to the dividends of democracy.”

The president said it is public knowledge that the “Governor of Rivers State for unjustifiable reasons, demolished the House of Assembly of the state as far back as 13th December 2023 and has, up until now, fourteen (14) months after, not rebuilt same. 

“I have made personal interventions between the contending parties for a peaceful resolution of the crisis, but my efforts have been largely ignored by the parties to the crisis.” 

The president who went down memory lane noted that on February 28, the supreme court, in its judgment declared that, “a government cannot be said to exist without one of the three arms that make up the government of a state under the 1999 Constitution as amended. In this case the head of the executive arm of the government has chosen to collapse the legislature to enable him to govern without the legislature as a despot. As it is there is no government in Rivers State.

“The above pronouncement came after a catalogue of judicial findings of constitutional breaches against the Governor Siminalayi Fubara. Going forward in their judgment, and having found and held that 27 members of the House who had allegedly defected… are still valid members of Rivers State House of Assembly and cannot be prevented from participating in the proceedings of that House by the 8th Respondent (that is, the Governor) in cohorts with four members”. 

President Tinubu also said some militants had threatened fire and brimstone against their perceived enemy of the governor who has up till now not disowned them.

“Apart from that both the House and the governor have not been able to work together. Both of them do not realise that they are in office to work together for the peace and good governance of the state.

“The latest security reports made available to me show that between yesterday and today there have been disturbing incidents of vandalization of pipelines by some militant without the governor taking any action to curtail them. I have, of course given stern order to the security agencies to ensure safety of lives of the good people of Rivers State and the oil pipelines.

“With all these and many more, no good and responsible President will standby and allow the grave situation to continue without taking remedial steps prescribed by the Constitution to address the situation in the state, which no doubt requires extraordinary measures to restore good governance, peace, order and security.

“In the circumstance, having soberly reflected on and evaluated the political situation in Rivers State and the Governor and Deputy Governor of Rivers State having failed to make a request to me as President to issue this proclamation as required by section 305(5) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, it has become inevitably compelling for me to invoke the provision of section 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State with effect from today, 18th March, 2025 and I so do.”

He added that by this declaration, the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu and all elected members of the House of Assembly of Rivers State are hereby suspended for an initial period of six months and nominated Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (Rtd) as Administrator to take charge of the affairs of the state. 

President meets Fubara in London

Barely a month after the state of emergency, President Tinubu was said to have met with the suspended Governor Fubara, in London.

Even though, presidency spokesmen refused to confirm the development at the time, multiple sources hinted that the meeting actually took place as part of efforts to resolve the political crisis. 

The meeting was also said to be at the insistence of Governor Fubara, who sources said was trying various avenues for the resolution of the impasse. 

The meeting was the first between the governor and the president since the declaration of the state of emergency and the suspension of the governor. 

Since the meeting, which sources said the president gave his approval for the peace process, the governor has been said to have met with other stakeholders in his quest to return to office. 

N/Assembly backs action

Despite the cry and hue from the opposition leaders led by former Vice president Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, the National Assembly decided to back President Tinubu’s declaration in the state. 

During the session, President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio called for a voice vote, and the lawmakers overwhelmingly approved the request.

Announcing the outcome, Akpabio disclosed that the Senate had exercised its powers under Section 305(2) of the Constitution to endorse the President’s proclamation.

He said, “We hope that the President’s declaration will foster peace and resolve the ongoing impasse in Rivers State”. 

The Senate also called for the establishment of an ad hoc committee consisting of eminent Nigerians to mediate between the parties. 

The lawmakers also advised that the president should review or terminate the state of emergency at any time, but no later than six months from the date of the emergency. 

The Senators further agreed to authorise the formation of an ad hoc committee, with members from both chambers of the National Assembly, to oversee the situation in Rivers State while the emergency lasts.