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President Bola Tinubu recently met with suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, in London.
According to The Africa Report, the meeting was initiated by Governor Fubara, who is reportedly eager to return to office following the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State by President Tinubu.
Two presidential aides confirmed to The Africa Report that the meeting took place in London last week, shortly after Tinubu’s departure from Paris.
“It is true. Governor Fubara held a private meeting with the president last week. Fubara has promised to make some compromises. Negotiations are ongoing, but from all indications, his suspension will be lifted before the six-month deadline,” said one of the president’s advisers, who requested anonymity due to lack of authorisation to speak publicly.
Another aide revealed that Fubara is considering joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as a strategic move to align himself with the president.
“If Fubara joins the APC, it boosts the president’s chances of securing Rivers State in future elections,” the aide said.
Reports also indicate that Fubara’s estranged political godfather and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, was not part of the London meeting and is displeased with such discussions occurring without his involvement.
Nevertheless, President Tinubu is expected to mediate a meeting involving Fubara, Wike, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to find a lasting resolution to the state’s ongoing political crisis.
Politics Digest reported that Fubara, in his Easter message, urged the people of Rivers State to continue supporting the Tinubu administration.
Wike had previously disclosed during a media briefing in Abuja that the president’s suspension of Fubara had prevented an impeachment that was already set in motion.
On March 18, Tinubu invoked Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, declaring a state of emergency in Rivers State and removing both Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, from office.
He cited “months of intense political instability” that had “paralysed governance” and “threatened national stability” as reasons for the decision. Navy Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas was subsequently appointed as the state’s sole administrator.
