JUST IN: Tinubu holds crucial meeting with Fubara in Lagos

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Tuesday, held a closed-door meeting with the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, at his private residence in Lagos.

The meeting marks the first official engagement between the two leaders since the controversial declaration of Emergency Rule in Rivers State on March 18, 2025. The federal government had cited escalating insecurity and a breakdown of governance as reasons for the drastic measure.

During the emergency declaration, President Tinubu dissolved the elected government of Rivers State, removing Governor Fubara, his deputy, and the entire state House of Assembly. In their place, the president appointed former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas (rtd), as Sole Administrator for an initial six-month period to stabilize the state.

Fubara, who had remained largely silent in the aftermath of the declaration, recently expressed support for Tinubu’s action, describing it as “the right call at the right time” to bring peace to the restive state. In a public address last week, he assured the people of Rivers that the Emergency Rule “will soon be lifted,” and that he would “return to office.”

The suspended governor also pledged that all government officials previously working under his administration would “come back to your offices,” while revealing that he had reconciled with his political mentor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

However, Wike stated on Monday that President Tinubu did not consult him before deciding to impose an Emergency Rule on the state.

Speaking at a regular media parley, the former Rivers governor revealed that he was not consulted. According to him, if he had been informed, he would not have supported that move.