Wike, Fubara meet for first time after governor gives up second-term bid

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Sunday received Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, at his residence in Port Harcourt.

The meeting marked the first known meeting between the two politicians since Fubara announced that he would not seek re-election for a second term as governor of Rivers State.

Wike was accompanied by Kingsley Chinda, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Rivers State, and Magnus Abe, chairman of the Rainbow Coalition reconciliation committee.

The meeting comes amid continued political developments in Rivers State ahead of the 2027 elections.

Sam Jaja, former deputy national chairman of the APC, accompanied Fubara to the meeting.

The meeting comes amid efforts to consolidate the reconciliation between Wike and Fubara following their prolonged political feud.

Wike recently announced that Fubara had agreed to return to the political family that supported his emergence as governor of Rivers.

The relationship between the two men deteriorated shortly after Fubara assumed office in 2023, resulting in a political crisis that polarised the state.

The dispute saw lawmakers loyal to Wike initiate impeachment proceedings against Fubara and eventually led to President Bola Tinubu declaring a six-month state of emergency in Rivers.

The two camps eventually reached a truce, with Fubara joining the APC and aligning with the Rainbow Coalition backed by Wike.

Following Wike’s declaration that the feud had ended, a reconciliation committee headed by Abe was constituted to engage Fubara and his supporters.

Fubara has since declared his support for the Rainbow Coalition and endorsed Chinda as his preferred successor in the 2027 governorship election.

He also backed Tinubu for re-election and urged his supporters to support the president and candidates of the coalition.

Fubara had initially been screened alongside Chinda for the APC governorship primary but later withdrew from the race, saying his decision was made in the interest of peace and unity in Rivers.

Chinda, who was the sole aspirant after Fubara’s withdrawal, subsequently emerged as the APC governorship candidate.

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