President Bola Tinubu is holding a closed-door meeting with Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers State, FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, former Governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili and other stakeholders from Rivers State over the ongoing political feud between the incumbent state governor and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike.
Vice President Kashim Shettima and the Deputy Governor of Rivers state, Ngozi Odu, are also attending the meeting at the State House, Abuja.
Rivers State is governed by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, however President Bola Tinubu has been playing the role of a peacemaker and a unifier to settle the lingering political crisis in the Niger Delta state. The crisis took a new twist last week with the defection of 27 House of Assembly members loyal to the forme Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike to the APC.
The four lawmakers loyal to Gov. Sim Fubara convened inside the Rivers State Government House complex where Hon. Edison Ehie declared the seats of the defected lawmakers vacant. The 27 lawmakers eventually obtained a court order restraining Hon Edison Ehie, the Speaker loyal to Gov. Fubara from declaring their seats vacant and also barring INEC from conducting by-elections to fill any Constituency seat.
The move by President Bola Tinubu to resolve the Rivers political crisis is coming few days after he resolved the political imbroglio in Ondo State where the health issues of the Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu is causing deep political tension in the state.
After the intervention of the President, Gov. Akeredolu wrote a letter to the State House of Assembly informing them of his plan to proceed on medical leave while transferring power to the Deputy Governor to act as Governor in his absence. This at once brought to an end the political uncertainty and the attendant stagnation of governance in the Sunshine State.
It is expected that with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu wading into the Rivers Political crisis, a lasting compromise will be reached. President Tinubu is known as a unifier with a deft political touch. Rivers State from all indication is set witness the impact of the Tinubu political peacemaking.