Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has hosted Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, at his Port Harcourt residence, marking their first known meeting since the governor stepped aside from the 2027 governorship race.
Fubara visited Wike on Sunday in what is being seen as another significant step in the reconciliation between the two politicians, whose relationship deteriorated shortly after Fubara assumed office in 2023.
Wike received the governor alongside Kingsley Chinda, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Rivers State, and Magnus Abe, chairman of the Rainbow Coalition reconciliation committee.
Fubara was accompanied by Sam Jaja, a former deputy national chairman of the APC.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of renewed efforts to consolidate the political truce between Wike and Fubara after a prolonged feud that plunged Rivers into a major political crisis.
The dispute between the former allies escalated soon after Fubara took office, with lawmakers loyal to Wike commencing impeachment proceedings against the governor.
The crisis later took a dramatic turn when President Bola Tinubu declared a six-month state of emergency in Rivers State.
However, the opposing camps eventually reached an agreement, paving the way for a political realignment involving Fubara and the APC.
Wike subsequently announced that the governor had returned to the political family that backed his emergence as governor.
As part of the reconciliation process, a committee led by Abe was constituted to engage Fubara and his supporters and help strengthen the emerging alliance.
Fubara has since publicly aligned with the Rainbow Coalition and endorsed Chinda as his preferred candidate to succeed him in the 2027 governorship election.
He has also endorsed President Tinubu for another term and called on his supporters to back the president and other candidates of the coalition.
Although Fubara was initially screened alongside Chinda ahead of the APC governorship primary, he later withdrew from the contest, explaining that the decision was taken in the interest of peace and unity in Rivers State.
Following his withdrawal, Chinda became the sole aspirant and was subsequently declared the APC governorship candidate.
Sunday’s meeting between Wike and Fubara therefore represents another public indication of the changing political dynamics in Rivers, as both camps seek to move beyond their bitter past and consolidate their new alliance ahead of the 2027 elections.
Post A Comment: