THE Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and his successor, Siminalayi Fubara, were seen together in Rivers State, two days after participating in peace talks at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Also seen with them was the suspended Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, who also took part in the Abuja peace talks.
The three were spotted together at a funeral in Wike’s hometown of Rumueprikom, Rivers State.
“Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, alongside Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, at the burial of Wike’s uncle in Rumuepirikom, Rivers State, today,” Lere Olayinka, a spokesperson for Wike, posted on X on Saturday.
Prominent politicians, including senators as well as former Deputy Speaker Chibudom Nwuche and others, attended the funeral service in Rumueprikom.
The appearance of the three key political figures together in Rivers State, following President Tinubu’s peace initiative, marks a significant development in ending their nearly two-year political rift.
The ICIR reported that Wike announced an end to his prolonged feud with the suspended Rivers State Governor, Fubara, on Thursday.
In a chat with journalists after the closed-door meeting at the Presidential Villa, Wike said both groups arrived at a final agreement to end animosity and work together in unity.
The minister acknowledged that the crisis had remained for months but described the Thursday agreement as conclusive.
Wike appealed for calm and unity among his followers and Fubara’s supporters, while Fubara welcomed the truce, crediting it to divine intervention and a new beginning for Rivers State.
The ICIR reported that the emergency rule declared by President Bola Tinubu in the state might soon be lifted after the president, on Thursday, reconciled the parties whose feud led to the declaration of a state of emergency in the state by the president on March 18.
The crisis between Wike and Fubara has its roots in who controls the political structure of the state between the two leaders.
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is the ruling party in the state.
The crisis took a different turn when the Amaewhule-led House of Assembly threatened to impeach Fubara over his alleged failure to implement a Supreme Court ruling on the political situation in the state.
The ICIR reports that nearly 90 per cent of the House members are loyal to Wike.
A reporter with the ICIR
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