The meeting is the latest in a series of engagements aimed at easing political tensions in the state and advancing reconciliation between the governor and political forces aligned with his predecessor.
It came about two weeks after Wike led members of the Rainbow Coalition in Rivers State, including the reported All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the 2027 general elections, Kingsley Chinda, to meet with Fubara.
Sunday’s visit was particularly notable as it marked the first time the FCT minister had visited the governor at his private residence in Port Harcourt.
The delegation included the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, other lawmakers and the 23 local government chairmen. Chinda was also said to have attended the meeting.
Although details of the discussions were not immediately made public, sources indicated that the meeting was intended to build on earlier engagements, strengthen reconciliation efforts and explore ways to accommodate Fubara’s supporters within the state’s evolving political structure.
The meeting brings together several of the key figures at the centre of Rivers State’s prolonged political crisis, which has been characterised by a bitter disagreement between Fubara and Wike, his predecessor and former political ally.
The dispute also triggered a prolonged confrontation between the governor and the Amaewhule-led House of Assembly, with lawmakers making two attempts to impeach Fubara at the height of the crisis before President Bola Tinubu intervened.
Tensions escalated in October 2023 when part of the Rivers State House of Assembly complex along Moscow Road was bombed. The political turmoil subsequently deepened divisions across the state, while suspected militant groups threatened attacks on oil installations.
The crisis reached another turning point in March 2025, when Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State for an initial six-month period. The declaration resulted in the suspension of the governor, his deputy and members of the state legislature.
President Tinubu appointed Ibok-Ete Ibas as administrator during the emergency period, before the elected officials subsequently returned to office.
Sunday’s meeting is therefore being viewed as another attempt to consolidate the relative calm that followed the political upheaval and establish a more workable relationship among the state’s principal political actors.
The attendance of the Assembly leadership and all 23 local government chairmen also underscores the involvement of political structures associated with Wike in the renewed engagement.
However, it remains unclear whether the discussions will lead to a lasting settlement of the dispute or how the interests of Fubara and his loyalists will be accommodated in the emerging political arrangement.
With the 2027 general elections approaching, the outcome of the reconciliation efforts could have implications for political alignments, candidate selection and the balance of influence among the major camps in Rivers State.
