Barely three weeks after his historic reinstallation as the governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara and the minister of the federal capital territory, FCT, Barr Nyesom Wike met for the first time with the Rivers state elders council to consolidate the subsisting peace accord in the state.
Present at the meeting were the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Martins Amaewhule, and the Chairman of the Rivers State Elders Council, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba.
Disclosing this much, the Senior Special Assistant, SSA, to the Minister on Public Communication and New Media, Lere Olayinka, shared photos from the meeting on his official X handle on Sunday stated that the Rivers State “political family is fully united.”
According to him, “FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, Chairman of the Rivers State Elders Council, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, and other leaders in a meeting in Port Harcourt yesterday. The political family is fully united”, Olayinka stated.
Though details of issues discussed at the meeting were not made public, sources hinted that “it was a mere conviviality and an opportunity for both parties (Wike and Fubara) to share thoughts together and see how the state can be moved forward after a six months break”.
Another source privy to the Saturday meeting noted that one of the critical issues that prompted the meeting was the allocations of political appointments which “must be approved by the minister”.
Fubara was reinstated as governor on September 18, 2025, after a six-month state of emergency was declared by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on March 18, 2025 wherein the governor, his deputy, Prof Ngozi Odu and the House of Assembly were placed on suspension.
President Tinubu went on to appoint Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas as the sole administrator of the state whose regime was characterized with allegations of financial scandal and misappropriation of the state’s resources during the period under review.
Only last week, Fubara dissolved some boards inaugurated by Ibas and appointed a new Permanent Secretary, Mr. Austin Ezekiel-Hart, charging him to remain unwavering in professionalism, uphold the values of the civil service, and shun any act of illegality in the discharge of his responsibilities.
Reflecting on the past challenges during the period of emergency rule, Governor Fubara lambasted some Permanent Secretaries who failed in their responsibility to safeguard due process and instead engaged in actions that undermined the principles of the service. He warned that such conduct is unacceptable and that erring officials would ultimately be held accountable.
The Governor praised Mr. Ezekiel-Hart for his professionalism and refusal to compromise his integrity despite pressures, noting that his steadfastness and principled stance earned him the new appointment. He pointed out that the appointee’s colleagues could attest to his record of doing the right thing even in difficult circumstances.
Three weeks after his reinstatement, the governor is yet to appoint commissioners and other political office holders in the state, a situation that has generated argument in some quarters that the current peace may be “pyrrhic” after all.
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