Tinubu Meets With Wike, Fubara, Rivers Lawmakers [PHOTOS]

On Thursday, President Bola Tinubu hosted a meeting with Governor Siminalayi Fubara, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly Martins Amaewhule, and other members of the assembly.

Channels TV reported that at this meeting, the President successfully reconciled the feuding parties, whose dispute led to the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State on March 18.

This was also the first time Governor Fubara was seen meeting with the President since his suspension.

Read Also: What Transpired When Fubara Met Rivers Lawmakers

In the same declaration, President Tinubu had also suspended the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Ngozi Odu, and the state Assembly, citing the inability of the governor and the Assembly to work together and the worsening security situation.

Photos from the meeting suggest a major breakthrough in resolving the prolonged political crisis in the oil-rich state.

One photo shows the President, the governor, and the minister all smiling, while another captures the FCT Minister and the governor walking side-by-side with the Speaker and other lawmakers following behind.

Although the presidency and the parties involved did not release a formal statement, these positive images and short video clips—showing handshakes, smiles, and a jovial mood—indicate that the state of emergency may be nearing its end.

The political crisis had been ongoing for two years, with Wike, the immediate past governor, and his former political godson, Fubara, clashing over control of the state’s political structure.

The Amaewhule camp, loyal to Wike, had even threatened to impeach Fubara for his alleged failure to implement a Supreme Court ruling.⁶

At the peak of the crisis, President Tinubu, in a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, imposed a state of emergency on Rivers State based on Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution.

He suspended Fubara, his deputy, and the state House of Assembly for an initial period of six months.

The President then appointed and swore in retired naval chief, Vice Admiral Ibok-ete Ibas (rtd), as the sole administrator for the state.

The suspension of these democratically elected representatives was widely condemned by prominent Nigerians, legal experts, and various groups, including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, Femi Falana, the Labour Party, the Peoples Democratic Party, the Nigerian Bar Association, and the Pan Niger Delta Forum, among others.

The last time a Nigerian president declared a state of emergency was on May 14, 2013, when then-President Goodluck Jonathan imposed one on the northeastern states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa due to the Boko Haram insurgency.

See photos below: