Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu held a private meeting with suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara in London this week, as reported by the The Africa Report.
This marks their first face-to-face discussion since the president declared a state of emergency in the oil-rich state in March.
The closed-door talks, confirmed by a presidential aide, were initiated by Fubara in an effort to “return Rivers State to the path of peace,” the report says.
“The meeting was part of the president’s efforts to find a lasting solution to the ongoing political crisis in that region,” the aide disclosed.
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Fractured political alliance
The London sit-down comes amid escalating tensions between Fubara and his estranged political godfather, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike, who was notably absent from the discussions.
Sources say Wike, who previously held a separate meeting with Rivers lawmakers in London, was unsettled by the Tinubu-Fubara parley.
The president is expected to convene a broader reconciliation meeting involving Wike, Fubara, and factions of the Rivers State House of Assembly to broker a political resolution.
Stalled governance
Tinubu’s suspension of Fubara and appointment of Navy Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas as sole administrator has plunged the state into uncertainty.
Now, with backchannel diplomacy in motion, the question remains: can this intervention stabilise Nigeria’s restive oil heartland?
