Wike, Fubara Meet in Port Harcourt After Cabinet Sack, Supreme Court Ruling

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has met with Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and some elders of the state in what appears to be a fresh attempt to douse political tension between both camps.

The meeting, which took place in Port Harcourt, came shortly after Governor Fubara dissolved his cabinet, sacking several commissioners believed to be loyal to the former governor.

According to Wike’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, who shared a photograph of the meeting on social media, Martin Amaewhule, the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, also attended.

Olayinka, however, did not provide details of the discussions, but political observers see it as a possible step toward reconciliation after months of open hostilities between the two leaders.

Saturday’s meeting marks the first publicly known engagement between Wike and Fubara since the governor dismissed several key members of his cabinet, many of whom were appointed during Wike’s tenure as governor.

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Appointing new commissioners is believed to be one of the conditions agreed upon during a peace meeting brokered by President Bola Tinubu earlier in the year, following heightened tension that nearly plunged Rivers into political instability.

Speaking earlier in the week during a valedictory session with his outgoing cabinet, Governor Fubara explained that his decision to disengage the commissioners was guided by a Supreme Court judgment that nullified their appointments.

He said the verdict had effectively recognised the House of Assembly faction loyal to Wike, rendering the confirmation of his appointees by the rival faction invalid.

“The Governor highlighted the significance of Nigeria’s Independence and called on all Nigerians to work together with Mr President to build a peaceful, secure, and prosperous country,” his spokesman, Nelson Chukwudi, said in a statement on Wednesday.

Chukwudi added that the governor had “relieved all Commissioners and other public officers affected by the recent Supreme Court judgment of their appointments with immediate effect.”

The Supreme Court, in its February ruling, had recognised the Amaewhule-led Assembly, which is aligned with Wike, as the legitimate legislature of Rivers State.

The judgment further complicated the already strained relationship between Fubara and his predecessor.

During the peak of the crisis, Fubara’s appointees were screened by a parallel assembly faction under Victor Oko-Jumbo, a move that the Amaewhule-led camp condemned as illegal.

Following the expiration of the emergency rule period, the Rivers State House of Assembly has formally asked Governor Fubara to submit a new list of commissioner nominees for confirmation.

The governor is expected to announce his new cabinet “any time soon,” signalling another test of his political strength and willingness to mend fences with his predecessor’s loyalists.

President Bola Tinubu’s intervention last year had led to a temporary truce between Wike and Fubara, with both men publicly pledging to uphold peace and stability in the state.

However, recent developments, including the cabinet dissolution and the Supreme Court ruling, have reignited concerns over the fragile alliance.

Political watchers say the latest meeting between the two leaders, joined by influential elders, could either mark a turning point in Rivers’ political reconciliation or set the stage for a fresh round of power realignments in the oil-rich state.