President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday night, held a high-level meeting with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike; suspended Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara; and some suspended members of the State House of Assembly.
The meeting, held behind closed doors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, was part of renewed efforts to end the protracted political crisis that led to the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
Presidency sources said the President brokered a truce among the feuding parties, urging them to embrace peace in the interest of the state’s stability and development.
Although details of the outcome of the meeting were not disclosed, it was gathered that President Tinubu appealed for calm and reconciliation, asking all sides to put the interest of Rivers people above personal ambitions.
Recall that on March 19, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State following a spate of political unrest.
As part of the emergency measures, Governor Fubara and his deputy, Dr Ngozi Ordu, were suspended for six months, while the State House of Assembly was also placed under federal oversight.
The President appointed a former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas (retd.), as Sole Administrator to oversee the state’s affairs during the suspension period.
We further gathered that the Thursday night peace meeting was one of the precursors to reversing the State of Emergency imposed on Rivers State after the initial six-month period sometime in August.