Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara stated on Thursday night that the political schism between him and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, had been resolved following a peace meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Abuja.
Speaking to journalists following the closed-door meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Fubara stated that both camps had reached an agreement to stop hostilities and work together.
The suspended governor of Rivers State acknowledged the truce, calling it a supernatural intervention and a critical turning point for the state.
“For me, it’s a day we have to thank Almighty God. For me, it’s very important that this day has come to be,” Fubara said.
Fubara emphasised the need for peace for Rivers State’s development, noting that “What we need for the progress of Rivers State is peace, and by the special grace of God, this night, with the help of Mr President and the agreement of the leaders of the state, our leader, peace has returned in Rivers State.”
Fubara also reaffirmed his complete dedication to sustaining the fragile unity achieved during the presidential peace meeting, saying, “We’ll do everything in our power to ensure that we maintain it this time around.”
Also confirming the development, Wike, the former governor of Rivers State, said, “We have all agreed to work together with the governor, and the governor also agreed to work together with all of us. We are members of the same political family,” Wike said.
Wike acknowledged that the political crisis had lingered for months but described the Thursday agreement as conclusive.
“Yes, just like humans, you have a disagreement, and then you also have a time to settle your disagreement.
“And that has been finally concluded today, and we have come to report to Mr President; that is what we have agreed. So for me, everything is over,” he said.
Calling for peace among political followers, he continued, “And I enjoin everybody who believes in working with us to work together with everyone so that there is no more acrimony.” “There is nothing to say.”
The feud between Wike and his political godson, Governor Fubara, began soon after the latter took office in May 2023.
Tensions rose in October when members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who supported Wike launched impeachment proceedings against Fubara.
In response to a suspicious fire, the governor demolished the Assembly complex and relocated parliamentary meetings to temporary quarters.
In December 2023, President Tinubu intervened to facilitate a fragile truce that led to a peace deal in which Fubara conceded several political appointments to Wike’s loyalists.
However, the agreement broke down, and the conflict resurfaced, culminating in President Tinubu declaring a state of emergency on March 18, 2025.
The president’s declaration suspended the governor’s executive powers for an initial period of six months, citing rising insecurity and administrative paralysis.
He installed a sole administrator, former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd.).
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")