The political reconciliation between Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his estranged political godfather, Nyesom Wike, continues to stir tension, as some of Fubara’s supporters question the legitimacy and motives behind the peace deal brokered by President Bola Tinubu in Abuja.
While a section of supporters sees the truce as a step toward political stability in Rivers, others have criticized it as a surrender rather than a reconciliation.
Dr. Leloonu Nwibubasa, a former Rivers State Commissioner for Employment Generation and Economic Empowerment, condemned the Abuja meeting as one-sided. Speaking to Saturday PUNCH, he argued that the governor entered the reconciliation alone without his political allies, including his deputy, chief of staff, or factional speaker Victor Oko-Jumbo.
“What I see is not reconciliation. What I see is a surrender,” Nwibubasa declared. “Wike has succeeded in cowing the governor into submission.”
Echoing this sentiment, the Rivers Emancipation Movement released a statement on Friday, stating that any agreement reached without broader consultation risks sidelining the people’s interest.
The group’s president, Zoe Tamunotonye, accused Governor Fubara of betraying the trust of Rivers citizens who stood by him during his political battles.
“The so-called reconciliation only massaged the ego of a few selfish individuals,” the group warned, “and any resolution that undermines the collective will of Rivers people will not stand.”
The peace meeting, held late Thursday at the Presidential Villa, brought together Fubara, Wike—now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory—and lawmakers loyal to Wike, including suspended Speaker Martin Amaewhule. The meeting was part of a broader effort by the presidency to end the long-running crisis that has paralyzed governance in Rivers since late 2023.
