Rivers crisis: President Tinubu reportedly meets Fubara in London

President Bola Tinubu recently held a private meeting with the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, in London, marking their first face-to-face encounter since the political crisis in Rivers escalated in March.

The meeting, confirmed by The Africa Report, was reportedly initiated by Fubara, who has remained at the center of a heated power struggle in Rivers State since assuming office in May 2023.

Although details of the closed-door discussion remain unclear, it comes just weeks after President Tinubu invoked Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State, leading to the controversial removal of both Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, from office.

Efforts by The PUNCH to get more information from presidential aides yielded little, as those contacted claimed they were not part of the President’s most recent foreign trip.

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Tinubu’s national broadcast on March 18 cited “months of intense political instability” that had “paralysed governance” and “threatened national stability.”

He appointed Navy Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas as sole administrator.

Opposition governors from seven PDP-controlled states immediately filed a suit at the Supreme Court, challenging the constitutionality of the proclamation and calling for a return to democratic governance.

Tinubu, who had been in Paris and then London since 2 April, agreed to meet with Fubara in an effort to defuse the ongoing crisis.
Officials said the pair discussed restoring a functional government in the oil-rich state.

Although neither side disclosed specific details, presidential aides who spoke on condition of anonymity said the talks focused on the possibility of Fubara returning to office before the end of his six-month suspension.
The President returned to Abuja on Monday night after spending 18 days abroad.

It was learnt that Fubara’s estranged political godfather, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, was not part of the meeting and was reportedly uneasy about such discussions taking place without him.

However, Tinubu is expected to meet with Fubara, Wike, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to chart a lasting resolution to the political crisis in the state.

(Punch)