Wike, Chinda, Fubara Meeting: Governor’s Loyalists Extract Political Concessions From Minister

There are unconfirmed reports that loyalists of Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, have extracted a series of political concessions from minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, as the price for working with his Rainbow Coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections in the state.

The demands, which were presented during a high-level reconciliation meeting between the two camps at Fubara’s private residence in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, included the lifting of the suspension imposed on three state lawmakers who stood with Fubara during the political crisis as well as payment of their outstanding salaries and allowances.

Another demand was an apology for what the governor’s camp described as wrongs committed against some prominent Rivers elders.

Sources, who were privy to the meeting, said the development represents a significant shift in the balance of power between Wike and his former political allies, after more than three years of bitter political confrontation that plunged Rivers State into one of its most serious political crises in recent history.

The Rainbow Coalition, led by Wike, is an amalgam of prominent members of political parties and political tendencies in the state, including the Action Alliance (AA), the All Progressives Congress (APC), a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party.

Wike had presented the coalition primarily as a platform for political collaboration among parties and groups committed to securing the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.

But the latest negotiations suggest that Fubara’s loyalists are seeking to turn their proposed return to Wike’s political camp into a negotiated settlement of some of the outstanding grievances from the crisis.

The reconciliation talks culminated in a closed-door meeting at Fubara’s private residence in the Government Reserved Area of Port Harcourt, where Wike led a team of his key political loyalists.

The meeting followed a series of consultations between Wike’s 10-member reconciliation committee, headed by Senator Magnus Abe, and representatives of Fubara’s political camp.

Sources said the atmosphere at the meeting was initially convivial until Wike called on former SSG Tammy Danagogo and former Obio-Akpor Local Government Chairman, Chijioke Ihunwo, to speak.

The meeting reportedly became heated after the political allegiances of Fubara’s supporters were discussed, particularly the fact that many of his former loyalists had dispersed into opposition political parties, including the Nigeria Democratic Congress and the African Democratic Congress.

The disagreement was eventually brought under control after the participants agreed on a formula for coordinating the voting strength and political structures of their respective supporters.

According to sources, a 70-to-30 per cent formula was subsequently adopted in favour of either the NDC or ADC, depending on the area and political structure involved.

But the more significant development, sources said, was the list of conditions presented by the Fubara camp before agreeing to work with the Rainbow Coalition.

At the top of the demands was the immediate lifting of the indefinite suspension imposed on three members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, including Speaker Edison Ehie and Oko-Jumbo, who were accused of siding with Fubara during the political confrontation.

The Fubara camp reportedly insisted that genuine reconciliation could not take place while the affected lawmakers remained suspended.

They also demanded the payment of all outstanding salaries and allowances owed the lawmakers.

The governor’s loyalists further demanded that what they described as wrongs committed against prominent Rivers elders be addressed as part of the reconciliation process, including apologies where necessary.

The elders named in the negotiations include former Governor Rufus Ada-George, Chairman of the Rivers State Elders Forum; former Governor Peter Odili, founder of PAMO University; and former Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, who is now the ADC vice-presidential candidate.

Sources said Wike accepted the conditions and agreed that steps should be taken to implement the decisions immediately.

The agreement is understood to be part of a broader political arrangement under which the two camps would work together in the 2027 elections.

According to sources, a 70-to-30 per cent formula was subsequently adopted in favour of either the NDC or ADC, depending on the area and political structure involved.

But the more significant development, sources said, was the list of conditions presented by the Fubara camp before agreeing to work with the Rainbow Coalition.

At the top of the demands was the immediate lifting of the indefinite suspension imposed on three members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, including Speaker Edison Ehie and Oko-Jumbo, who were accused of siding with Fubara during the political confrontation.

The Fubara camp reportedly insisted that genuine reconciliation could not take place while the affected lawmakers remained suspended.

They also demanded the payment of all outstanding salaries and allowances owed the lawmakers.

The governor’s loyalists further demanded that what they described as wrongs committed against prominent Rivers elders be addressed as part of the reconciliation process, including apologies where necessary.

The elders named in the negotiations include former Governor Rufus Ada-George, Chairman of the Rivers State Elders Forum; former Governor Peter Odili, founder of PAMO University; and former Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, who is now the ADC vice-presidential candidate.

Sources said Wike accepted the conditions and agreed that steps should be taken to implement the decisions immediately.

The agreement is understood to be part of a broader political arrangement under which the two camps would work together in the 2027 elections.

According to sources familiar with the meeting, the parties also agreed to jointly constitute campaign structures for President Tinubu’s re-election bid, the governorship campaign of Kingsley Chinda, and candidates contesting the National and State Houses of Assembly elections under the Rainbow Coalition.

At the top of the demands was the immediate lifting of the indefinite suspension imposed on three members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, including Speaker Edison Ehie and Oko-Jumbo, who were accused of siding with Fubara during the political confrontation.

The Fubara camp reportedly insisted that genuine reconciliation could not take place while the affected lawmakers remained suspended.

They also demanded the payment of all outstanding salaries and allowances owed the lawmakers.

The governor’s loyalists further demanded that what they described as wrongs committed against prominent Rivers elders be addressed as part of the reconciliation process, including apologies where necessary.

The elders named in the negotiations include former Governor Rufus Ada-George, Chairman of the Rivers State Elders Forum; former Governor Peter Odili, founder of PAMO University; and former Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, who is now the ADC vice-presidential candidate.

Sources said Wike accepted the conditions and agreed that steps should be taken to implement the decisions immediately.

The agreement is understood to be part of a broader political arrangement under which the two camps would work together in the 2027 elections.

According to sources familiar with the meeting, the parties also agreed to jointly constitute campaign structures for President Tinubu’s re-election bid, the governorship campaign of Kingsley Chinda, and candidates contesting the National and State Houses of Assembly elections under the Rainbow Coalition.

The latest development comes after years of confrontation between Wike and Fubara that began as a dispute within the political family of the former governor but subsequently engulfed the Rivers political establishment.

The crisis saw supporters of the two men split into opposing camps, with the battle eventually extending to the state legislature, local government councils and political appointments.

During the confrontation, Fubara’s political structure suffered significant setbacks as Wike’s camp consolidated control of several political positions, including federal and state legislative seats, commissioner slots, boards and local government structures.

The dispute eventually contributed to the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State and the suspension of the executive and legislative arms of the state government.

For six months, the state was administered by a Sole Administrator, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, amid sustained criticism from political actors and sections of the public.

Fubara subsequently abandoned his ambition to seek a second term as governor, a development that generated widespread reactions across the state and paved the way for the emergence of Kingsley Chinda as the Rainbow Coalition’s governorship candidate.

Following what appeared to be a decisive victory for Wike’s political camp, the FCT Minister initiated reconciliation efforts, with the Magnus Abe-led committee beginning consultations with members of Fubara’s political family.

But the latest agreement suggests that the process of reconciliation may not be a simple return of Fubara’s loyalists to the Wike camp.

Instead, the negotiations appear to have produced a transactional political arrangement in which Fubara’s supporters are demanding concrete concessions before committing their structures to the Rainbow Coalition.

The agreement could also reshape the 2027 political contest in Rivers, where the opposition ADC has been building its own structure around former political heavyweights, including Amaechi.

Meanwhile, the reconciliation has already attracted criticism from opposition figures.

Speaking on Arise News, ADC chieftain and former Rivers State Commissioner Dr. Leloonu Nwibubasa dismissed the latest political realignment as an “over-dramatization,” arguing that the developments reflected an attempt by the political establishment to recover from strategies that had failed.

Nwibubasa said the ADC remained focused on grassroots mobilisation behind its governorship candidate, Sir Gabriel Pidomson, presenting the party as an alternative to what its supporters describe as “state capture.”