President Bola Tinubu has again stepped in to defuse the deepening political crisis in Rivers State, directing an immediate halt to moves to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara while setting firm conditions for lasting peace.
The intervention follows months of failed reconciliation efforts that pushed the state to the edge of political instability, including threats of impeachment, legislative deadlock and governance paralysis.
Sources familiar with the development said the president issued the directive shortly before departing Nigeria for an official visit to Türkiye on January 26.
Tinubu was said to have acted to prevent a breakdown of order in Rivers State, which is considered politically strategic ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to the sources, Tinubu made it clear that any impeachment process against Fubara must be suspended, warning that continued hostilities between the governor and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, would further undermine governance and stability in the state.
As part of the fresh peace terms, the president reportedly told Governor Fubara to recognise the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, as the undisputed political leader in Rivers State, regardless of party affiliation. Tinubu was also said to have dismissed discussions about Fubara’s second-term ambition as premature, urging all parties to focus on governance.
The deal is also understood to include the recognition of candidates loyal to Wike in forthcoming state House of Assembly by-elections, a move aimed at easing tensions within the legislature.
Tinubu had previously intervened in the Rivers crisis in December 2023, brokering a fragile truce that later collapsed. The renewed crisis eventually led to the declaration of a six-month emergency rule in the state on March 18, 2025, during which the governor was suspended.
The rift between Fubara and Wike began just months after the governor assumed office in May 2023. While Wike played a key role in Fubara’s emergence as governor, relations soured as the former governor allegedly sought to retain control over the state’s political structure from Abuja. Fubara, on his part, resisted what his supporters described as undue interference in the affairs of his administration.
Tinubu’s latest intervention is seen as a decisive attempt to end one of the country’s most volatile political feuds and restore stability to Rivers State.
