President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has brokered a high-stakes political truce that will see Governor Siminalayi Fubara remain in office — but under strict conditions that critics say hand full political control of Rivers State back to his estranged godfather, Nyesom Wike.
In a late-night closed-door meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday, Tinubu brought together the warring factions — Governor Fubara, FCT Minister Wike, suspended Speaker Martins Amaewhule, and other lawmakers — to end the months-long power struggle destabilizing the oil-rich state.
According to insider sources, the President’s solution was a trade-off: Fubara keeps his seat until 2027, but must not seek re-election, must cede control of local government structures, and must reconcile with Wike’s loyalists in the House of Assembly.
“The arrangement is clear: no second term, no local government control, and peace will return,” a presidency source told reporters on Friday.
The most controversial part of the deal reportedly gives Wike the right to nominate all 23 local government chairmen in the state — a powerful lever of grassroots political control ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“This deal has effectively sidelined Fubara politically, even though he remains governor,” said a source familiar with the negotiations. “Wike walks away with everything that matters — structure, influence, and leverage for 2027.”
Fubara is also expected to settle all outstanding allowances and entitlements owed to the 27 lawmakers who defected to Wike’s camp and were previously suspended. In return, the lawmakers have agreed to halt all impeachment proceedings against him.
Political observers have described the agreement as a peace pact that preserves surface-level calm but entrenches Wike’s dominance in Rivers politics. While it may prevent further legislative crisis, it places Governor Fubara under tight political supervision, with little room for independent action.
“The president made it clear that Rivers cannot afford a prolonged crisis,” another source said. “The peace is strategic, but it comes at a steep cost for Fubara.”
With this arrangement, Wike retains the keys to Rivers State’s political machinery, leaving Fubara as a lame-duck governor for the remainder of his term. The implications of this deal are likely to reverberate across the South-South region, particularly as the 2027 elections begin to take shape.