“No Victor, No Vanquished”- Fubara Shakes Hands with Tinubu Behind Closed Doors

The suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara met with President Bola Tinubu at the president’s private residence in Lagos on Tuesday.

The visit, held behind closed doors, is the first direct engagement between Fubara and President Tinubu since emergency rule was declared in Rivers State in March 2025, resulting in the suspension of Fubara as the State Governor and the appointment of a sole administrator, retired Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas.

Though the presidency has yet to release an official statement, insiders familiar with the meeting said the conversation was frank, focused, and forward-looking. One source described the tone of the talks as “reconciliatory, not confrontational.”

The political tension in Rivers State had reached boiling point earlier in the year, largely stemming from a bitter fallout between Fubara and his predecessor-turned-rival, Nyesom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. The rivalry had paralyzed governance in the oil-rich state and triggered fears of violence.

While Fubara has publicly claimed to have reconciled with Wike, the Minister recently pushed back, saying he was neither consulted about the emergency rule nor would he have supported it.

Observers say Tuesday’s meeting in Lagos may be part of a broader effort by Tinubu to restore normalcy ahead of the six-month expiration of the emergency rule.