President Bola Tinubu has reportedly intervened in the escalating political war between Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike. According to high-level sources, the President summoned Wike to a meeting in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, while Governor Fubara is believed to have flown to France on Thursday, January 8, 2026, to brief the President on the fresh impeachment plot against him. This diplomatic intervention comes as the Presidency views the instability in Rivers as a significant threat to national interest, particularly fearing that the ousting of the state’s first Ijaw governor could push youths back into the creeks and disrupt vital oil production.
The crisis reached a boiling point on Thursday when 26 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, loyal to Wike, formally initiated impeachment proceedings against both Fubara and Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu. The lawmakers, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, leveled seven counts of “gross misconduct” against the Governor, including the 2024 demolition of the Assembly complex and the refusal to implement a Supreme Court ruling on legislative financial autonomy. The Assembly has also barred Fubara from presenting the 2026 budget, effectively freezing the state’s fiscal planning until the probe is concluded.
Despite the President’s previous mediation in March 2025, which led to a temporary six-month state of emergency and suspension of the governor, the truce collapsed shortly after emergency rule ended. Senior APC leaders have expressed deep dissatisfaction with Wike’s actions, viewing them as an affront to the party and the Presidency. Sources within the APC National Secretariat noted that because Fubara has now formally defected to the APC and is recognized as the party leader in his state, he should be allowed to complete his term without “undue harassment” from his predecessor.
