There are indications that President Bola Tinubu has intervened in the ongoing feud between Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Tinubu, according to a highly credible source, summoned Wike for a meeting over the Rivers crisis.
The source, who is close to the President, told Saturday PUNCH that the meeting would be held outside the country.
Our correspondents also gathered that Fubara flew out of the country on a private jet on Thursday with the plan of meeting Tinubu in France.
This comes amid a fresh impeachment process against Fubara and his Deputy, Ngozi Odu, by members of the Rivers State House of Assembly said to be loyal to Wike.
The allegations against Fubara and Odu are similar to those earlier levelled against them before the declaration of a state of emergency and their six-month suspension by Tinubu in March 2025.
Tinubu had mediated in the matter, after which Fubara and Wike agreed to a truce.
Barely three months after end of the emergency rule, the two men started trading words.
Wike accused Fubara of reneging on their agreements, while Fubara made veiled jabs to his former boss.
The impeachment process is the peak in the current face-off between the men, as Wike insists that the governor will not secure a second term even after defecting to the All Progressives Congress.
Tinubu’s intervention
Speaking on the fresh impeachment plot, the top source disclosed that the President had intervened.
“The President must see the danger in what Wike is doing, though I am aware that he has summoned him to a meeting in Dubai. You know the President is currently out of the country. Barring any last-minute change, they are expected to meet abroad. Wike cannot impeach Fubara; the President will call him to order,” he said.
The source described the FCT minister’s action as an affront to the President.
He maintained that if care was not taken, the move could push Ijaw youths back to the creeks.
Speaking further with Saturday PUNCH, the official said, “What is happening is outright disrespect to the President by Wike, and it is against national interest. One of the reasons a state of emergency was declared in Rivers in March last year was the fear of a breakdown of law and order and the attendant consequences for oil production.
“If you say you want to sack the first Ijaw man to be governor, are you not sending the Ijaw people back to the creeks? That will have attendant effects on the economy, and the President will not allow that to happen.”
A senior aide to the President said he was not aware of the meeting with Wike, adding that the President was currently in France from where he would proceed to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The source noted that the FCT minister had no business in the UAE and only an appointment with Tinubu would make him travel there.
“Only Wike or his aides can say if there is any scheduled meeting between him and the President,” the source said.
“When Fubara was moving to the APC, he met with the President, who approved his decision. The President also confirms that governors are the leaders of the party in their states,” the official added.
A senior administrative official at the APC national secretariat said discussions were ongoing on how national leaders of the party would also meet Tinubu upon his arrival in the country.
He said APC leaders were not happy with Wike.
“The discussion here is about how our leaders will meet the President when he returns to the country. They are unhappy that Wike is threatening Fubara like when they were both in the PDP. So, our leaders have concluded plans to see the President on the matter.
“Some of our leaders believe that Wike should have respected the President and the party because Fubara is part of the APC governors. Even if Fubara is not going to contest for a second term, some of our leaders believe he should be allowed to complete his second term,” he added.
Efforts to speak with the minister’s spokesperson, Lere Olayinka, were unsuccessful, as he did not take his calls or respond to messages sent to his phone.
However, an ally of the minister, who spoke with Saturday PUNCH on condition of anonymity, said the minister would return to Abuja on Sunday.
The ally refused to speak further on Wike’s itinerary after that.
When queried about the meeting with the President, the ally said, “Let’s wait for the day to come. We don’t need to rush things.”
She also absolved the minister of any involvement in the impeachment process against Fubara, saying Rivers lawmakers were behind it.
The ally dismissed the claim that Wike was disrespecting the President by attacking Fubara.
“People accusing the minister of disrespecting the President are mischievous. It is not about the President, and Wike is a number one supporter of Mr President. So, that claim is not correct,” she said.
Party chief, ex-lawmaker lament
This is as a member of the APC National Working Committee, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, urged Tinubu to caution Wike and recognise the dangers in his actions.
According to the senior party official, Wike has shown disregard for the President, the APC, and national interest.
“For a minister to instigate actions likely to lead to insecurity and a breakdown of law and order shows a lack of regard for the President and national interest, or a preference for personal ambition,” he said.
“We are already grappling with Nigeria’s reclassification as a Country of Particular Concern by the United States, as well as rising cases of kidnapping and banditry. Adding the Rivers political crisis reflects insensitivity to critical national challenges.
“Stakeholders believe Wike has become an albatross for the President, and they are watching closely to see what step the President will take—whether he will allow Wike to continue riding roughshod over everyone,” he added.
The APC official said Wike’s actions were portraying the President as weak.
He said, “As a minister, what temerity does he have to heat up the polity, tour local governments making inflammatory remarks, and attack personalities across the country, including our national secretary? He abandoned his responsibilities in Abuja and embarked on creating crises in Rivers State.
“I think the President’s advisers must properly brief him on the dangers of Wike’s actions. His posture is affecting even the popularity of the President. Wike is projecting the President as weak and riding roughshod over him.”
Also, a former senator in the state, Andrew Uchendu, described the lingering crisis as an embarrassment to the people of Rivers.
Uchendu, who represented the Rivers East Senatorial District, made the remark while speaking on a popular Port Harcourt radio station, Nigeria Info, monitored by our correspondent on Saturday.
He said the crisis, which had persisted for about two years, had tarnished the state’s image.
According to him, a roundtable dialogue involving all parties to the dispute, as well as elder statesmen in the state, should be convened to address the root causes of the crisis.
“Mr President should step in and call the parties to order,” he said.
- The Punch
