RUMUEPIRIKOM, Rivers State – June 28, 2025 – Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike and Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara made their first joint public appearance today, attending the burial ceremony of Wike’s uncle, Elder Temple Omezurike Onuoha, in Rumuepirikom. This significant development comes barely two days after their political rift was reportedly resolved through an intervention brokered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Abuja.
The joint appearance underscores the commitment to the reconciliation reached during a high-stakes, closed-door peace meeting held at the Presidential Villa on Thursday. Following that meeting, Minister Wike confirmed to journalists that both factions had reached a conclusive agreement to end months of intense political hostilities that had gripped Rivers State.
“We have all agreed to work together with the governor, and the governor also agreed to work together with all of us. We are members of the same political family,” Wike stated on Thursday, emphasizing that the protracted crisis had been brought to a definitive end.
The political fallout between Wike, the immediate past governor, and his successor, Governor Fubara, began shortly after Fubara assumed office in May 2023. Tensions severely escalated in October when lawmakers loyal to Wike initiated impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara. In a dramatic turn of events, the Rivers State House of Assembly complex was subsequently demolished following a suspicious fire, forcing legislative sittings to be relocated to temporary quarters.
The prolonged power struggle prompted President Tinubu’s initial intervention in December 2023, which led to a peace deal where Governor Fubara reportedly conceded several political appointments to Wike’s allies. However, that truce ultimately broke down, reigniting the conflict.
The escalating crisis culminated on March 18, 2025, when President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending Governor Fubara’s executive powers for an initial period of six months. Subsequently, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd.), a former Chief of Naval Staff, was appointed as a sole administrator to oversee the state’s affairs.
Today’s event in Rumuepirikom, attended also by the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, and other Wike allies, marks a symbolic step towards genuine peace and stability in the state, signaling a new chapter after a period of significant political turbulence
