After a series of tumultuous events in Rivers State, the political leaders in the South-South state reached a settlement on Monday following a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Villa in Abuja.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who now serves as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), attended the meeting.
Former Rivers governor, Peter Odili, and some traditional rulers from the state were also present, along with Vice President Kashim Shettima and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
The Rivers State political landscape has witnessed intense conflicts in the past three months, with the state House of Assembly becoming a battleground.
The feud between Wike and Fubara led to divisions among lawmakers, with 27 of them defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). This happened while Wike, serving in the APC-led central government, remained as the minister.
The dispute resulted in parallel sittings, an impeachment plot against the governor, the demolition of the Assembly complex, and a wave of resignations from pro-Wike commissioners in Fubara’s cabinet.
Following Monday’s meeting, the conflicting parties agreed to withdraw all court cases instituted by Fubara and his team immediately. Fubara, Wike, Amaewhule, and other key figures in the crisis signed the agreement. The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, also endorsed the document.
Additionally, the Wike camp consented to dropping all impeachment proceedings initiated against the governor by the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The resolution recognized the leadership of Martin Amaewhule in the Rivers State House of Assembly, rejecting that of Edison Ehie. Both factions agreed to acknowledge Amaewhule and his 26 associates who recently switched allegiance from the PDP to the APC.
Other resolutions state thus:
“The remunerations and benefits of all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and their staff must be reinstated immediately and the Governor of Rivers State shall henceforth not interfere with the full funding of the Rivers State House of Assembly
“The Rivers State House of Assembly shall choose where they want to sit and conduct their legislative business without interference and/or hindrance from the Executive arm of Government
“The Governor of Rivers State, Sir Fubara, shall re-present the state budget to a properly constituted Rivers State House of Assembly
“The names of all commissioners in the Rivers State Executive Council who resigned their appointments because of the political crisis in the state should be resubmitted to the House of Assembly for approval
“There should not be a caretaker committee for the local governments in Rivers State. The dissolution of the Local Government administration is null and void and shall not be recognised.”
Ada Peter
