Rivers Emergency Rule: Wike Confirms Meeting With Fubara

• FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, has disclosed that suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara is making reconciliatory moves
• At a media parley in Abuja on Monday, Wike disclosed that Governor Fubara visited him, alongside two other governors
• Wike, the immediate past governor of Rivers state, spoke hours after Fubara downplayed the possibility of his return to the Rivers government house after his six-month suspension

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

FCT, Abuja - Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Monday, May 12, confirmed that the suspended governor of Rivers state, Siminalayi Fubara, was led by two governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to his house to make peace between the both of them.

Wike disclosed this during a media parley with selected journalists in Abuja, monitored by Legit.ng on Monday.

“Yes, he visited,” Wike said.

Did Fubara visit Wike to beg for reconciliation?

Recall that there had been reports that Fubaras, who was suspended earlier in the year, secretly visited the FCT minister.

Wike, the immediate past governor of Rivers state, confirmed the meeting and maintained that he is not going to mention the names of the APC governors who accompanied Fubara to his residence in Abuja.

“Yes, he came with two governors, and unfortunately, the two of them are APC governors. He said he wants peace, and I said I want peace too,” Wike said.

As reported by Vanguard, Wike emphasised that while peace is desirable, reconciliation requires more than just words. He further alleged that Fubara had been warned early on against allowing political influences to mislead him, adding that the situation could have been avoided.

He said:

“There are steps. You people think this is about saying I want peace; then you go. What that means is that there’s an open window for you. Take the necessary steps to show you want peace.

“This is a self-inflicted injury. He doesn’t need it. When this thing started, I called him. Seyi Makinde, Ortom, Ikpeazu, and Umahi were there. We sat him down and said, This is not good for you. God has given it to you; don’t allow people to push you. You’re a governor, we know.

“Don’t forget people laboured day and night, and what I have said is don’t forget people who toiled day and night.”

Why Fubara visited Wike, Rivers elders react

Meanwhile, a member of the Rivers State Elders and Leaders Council and pioneer spokesman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, has said Governor Fubara’s recent visit to the FCT minister, Wike, is a sacrifice made in the interest of peace in Rivers state.

Speaking in reaction to the meeting, Sara-Igbe said the suspended governor had consistently shown a desire for peace, contrary to what he described as Wike’s combative stance.

“That discussion is not for public consumption, except the FCT Minister wants to make it public,” The Punch quoted Sara-Igbe as stating. “At the end of the day, we’ll hear the result.”

He lauded Governor Fubara’s move, emphasising that peace often requires personal sacrifices.

Fubara says he may not return as Rivers ' governor

Wike spoke hours after Rivers governor Siminalayi Fubara declared that he was not desperate to return to office, just after President Bola Tinubu filed a defence at the Supreme Court against the suit regarding his suspension.

Speaking at a service of songs in honour of late elder statesman Edwin Clark on Sunday, Fubara distanced himself from supporters' fiery remarks calling for his reinstatement.

Legit.ng understands that Wike and Fubara are at loggerheads over the control of the oil-rich Rivers state.

Read more about Rivers crisis here:

• Wike vs Fubara: Guru Maharaj mentions ‘real enemy’ of peace amid Rivers emergency rule
• Senate sets up committee to monitor Rivers administrator, full list emerges
• Lawyers storm US embassy, back Rivers' emergency rule

Tinubu’s ex-AGF, 11 SANs to defend Rivers emergency rule

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the Federal Government has appointed 12 SANs, led by Chief Akin Olujinmi, to defend the declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State at the Supreme Court.

Eleven PDP governors are challenging the March 18 suspension of Governor Fubara and his deputy for six months and the state of emergency declaration by Tinubu.

The AGF has filed a preliminary objection, arguing the case lacks merit, jurisdiction, and locus standi.

Legit.ng's head of politics and current affairs desk, Nurudeen Lawal, contributed the reaction of the Rivers elders to this report.

Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng