THE Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said that Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, failed to comply with the agreement reached through the mediation of President Bola Tinubu to address the state’s deepening political crisis.
Wike made the allegation on Wednesday during his visit to Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State, where he told supporters that the agreement reached at the Presidential Villa would soon be made public.
The agreement emerged from a closed-door meeting convened by Tinubu at the State House in Abuja in June 2025 with the two leaders.
The crisis, rooted in a battle for control of the state’s political structure within the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had triggered division in the state House of Assembly and heightened political tension in the oil-rich state.
At the height of the crisis, lawmakers loyal to Wike, who constituted the majority of the Rivers State House of Assembly, threatened to impeach Fubara, accusing him of failing to implement a Supreme Court ruling related to the dispute.
The standoff prompted Tinubu, on March 18, to declare a state of emergency in the state.
The president, acting under Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, suspended Fubara, his deputy, and all members of the State House of Assembly for six months.
He appointed Ibok Ekwe Ibas, a retired rear admiral, as the state administrator. The decision sparked widespread criticism from civil society groups and legal experts, who questioned its constitutionality.
Following months of political deadlock, Wike announced, in June 2025, that the crisis had been resolved after another closed-door meeting with Tinubu at the Presidential Villa.
At the time, he described the agreement as final and urged supporters on both sides to embrace peace.
“Yes, just like humans, you have a disagreement, and then you also have time to settle your disagreement.
“And that has been finally concluded today, and we have come to report to Mr. President that is what we have agreed. So for me, everything is over,” Wike had stated.
Fubara also welcomed the truce, describing it as a turning point for the state and pledging to preserve the unity achieved during the meeting.
“For me, it’s a day we have to thank Almighty God. For me, it’s very important that this day has come to be.
“What we need for the progress of Rivers State is peace, and by the special grace of God, this night, with the help of Mr. President and the agreement of the leaders of the state, our leader, peace has returned to Rivers State,” he said.
However, Wike on Wednesday hinted that the governor had failed to honour aspects of what was agreed before the president.
“After agreeing on something, you renege. And you think you are a smart politician? You are clever by half.
“Very soon, we will let Rivers people know what we agreed before Mr President. This agreement was not done anywhere; before Mr President. If you can renege on what we agreed before Mr President, then who are we?” he asked.
The minister also issued a renewed political warning, insisting that his supporters were prepared to challenge Fubara’s leadership.
“We are battle-ready. We were the original ‘mandate’ people. Don’t deal with people who cannot keep to agreements. And they tell you it’s politics, that politics will not work here again.
“If they like, let them keep all the money, whether they have N600 billion or not. We have defeated people with money before. We will still defeat people with money. What matters is the people, it’s not money,” he said.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M