Tinubu Moves To End Emergency Rule In Rivers As Fubara, Wike Reconcile

…  Peace Deal In Sight After Aso Rock Meeting With Key Political Actors

There are strong indications that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu may soon lift the six-month emergency rule imposed on Rivers State, following a major breakthrough in the long-running political impasse between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the state’s lawmakers led by Martin Amaewhule.

The President on Thursday hosted a crucial closed-door meeting at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa with Governor Fubara, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, Speaker Martins Amaewhule, and other key members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

The meeting is believed to have produced a significant shift in the tense political atmosphere that has engulfed the oil-rich state for nearly two years.

Multiple credible sources revealed that the meeting served as a platform for reconciling the governor and his estranged political godfather, Wike, along with Amaewhule’s legislative faction.

This development is widely seen as a potential end to the sole administration currently governing Rivers under the leadership of retired naval officer, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, who was appointed by Tinubu after suspending all elected officials in March 2025.

Though no official statement was released by the presidency or the Rivers stakeholders after the meeting, images and videos from the event painted a new picture—one of unity and reconciliation.

President Tinubu was seen smiling alongside Fubara and Wike, while once-feuding lawmakers shook hands and posed for group photos. The atmosphere sharply contrasted with the hostility that had previously defined the Rivers political scene.

“This is the closest the state has come to a truce,” a top source told PLATFORM TIMES. “The meeting was frank but productive, and signals that President Tinubu may soon lift the state of emergency.”

President Tinubu had declared the emergency on March 18, citing an unending feud between the governor and the Assembly that spiraled into violence, legislative chaos, and security breakdowns.

He suspended Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and the entire House of Assembly, invoking Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution.

The move drew sharp criticism from legal minds and political heavyweights including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, Femi Falana, the Nigerian Bar Association, and PANDEF.

The crisis had reached a boiling point when the state Assembly complex was set ablaze and later demolished—a symbolic end to legislative authority. Factions emerged, with Edison Ehie (later appointed Fubara’s Chief of Staff) and Victor Oko-Jumbo challenging Amaewhule’s speakership.

In December 2024, Amaewhule’s camp—backed by Wike—sought to impeach Fubara twice. The Assembly secured a Supreme Court ruling that reinstated Amaewhule as Speaker and invalidated the governor’s local government elections, prompting fresh impeachment threats.

The situation deteriorated until Tinubu’s intervention through emergency rule. With the fresh meeting now signaling de-escalation, political watchers believe the President may soon dismantle the interim government and reinstate democratic structures.

Although no concrete timelines have been announced for the restoration of full governance, sources close to the presidency hinted that a formal reversal of the emergency rule may be announced “within weeks” if peace holds.

“This is not just a photo-op; it’s the product of intense negotiations and political pressure from across the country,” one insider told PLATFORM TIMES.

The return of Fubara to the Presidential Villa—and his first public appearance with Tinubu since his suspension—has also sparked optimism that normalcy may return to Port Harcourt soon.

The political fallout between Wike and Fubara, once mentor and protégé, had threatened the unity of the Peoples Democratic Party in the South-South and stalled governance in a state that contributes significantly to Nigeria’s oil revenue.

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