Gov Fubara In Consultations With Lawmakers, Elders As Rivers Awaits Next Political Steps
By Jerry Needam
…Agreements Should Be Honoured
Strong indications have emerged that Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has engaged in a series of high-level, closed-door consultations with key political stakeholders in what appears to be a renewed effort to consolidate the fragile peace in the state.
Although the meetings have not been officially confirmed, multiple sources close to members of the Rivers State House of Assembly disclosed that the Governor recently met with lawmakers behind closed doors.
According to insiders who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the discussions, the talks were frank and strategic, focusing primarily on stabilising governance after months of protracted political tension that paralysed critical state functions.
Meeting With Elders
In a related development, credible sources further revealed that the Governor is also said to have met with respected Rivers elders led by Chief Ferdinand Anabraba.
The meeting, reportedly calm yet decisive, was centred on reconciliation, institutional cooperation and the urgent need to move the state forward in unity, ensuring that all interests are accommodated within the evolving peace arrangement.
While neither Government House nor the Assembly has issued an official statement confirming the engagements, independent confirmations from individuals privy to the conversations suggest that significant understandings may have been reached.
Budgets and Commissioners: Signals of Institutional Reset
Sources further disclosed that the long-anticipated 2024 Appropriation Budget — earlier passed by the Edison Ehie–led factional Assembly and later described as illegal by the Supreme Court of Nigeria — alongside the proposed 2026 Budget framework, is expected to be transmitted to the House of Assembly imminently.
In addition, the Governor is reportedly set to forward a fresh or updated list of commissioner nominees for legislative screening and confirmation, following his dissolution of the State Executive Council and Special Advisers last week.
Observers believe these anticipated steps may not be coincidental, but rather part of a broader agreement aimed at restoring institutional order and rebuilding executive-legislative cooperation.
If formally transmitted, the budgets and commissioner list would signal a decisive shift from confrontation to functionality — a development long awaited by civil servants, investors and residents of the oil-rich state.
For months, governance in Rivers State has suffered severe strain due to disagreements between the executive arm and lawmakers, disrupting budget processes, cabinet confirmations and routine legislative business.
The Three Peace Attempts
The current rapprochement is believed to be the third major intervention aimed at resolving the political crisis that has sharply divided Rivers State.
- The Initial Reconciliation Effort
The first peace initiative reportedly involved the intervention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, alongside the National Security Adviser, the Minister of the FCT and former Rivers governor Nyesom Wike, former Governor Sir Dr Peter Odili, Chief Ferdinand Anabraba and other stakeholders.
Though an agreement was reached and its contents made public, the settlement collapsed amid disagreements over implementation and lingering distrust.
- The Second Attempt
A second intervention, again involving President Tinubu during the twilight of the six-month emergency rule period, also failed irretrievably.
Unlike the first settlement, details of the second agreement were not made public.
The breakdown triggered renewed hostilities, including another impeachment notice reportedly served on the Governor by lawmakers.
- The Third Agreement – February 2, 2026
The latest intervention reportedly took place on February 2, 2026, when President Tinubu once again summoned Governor Fubara, Minister Wike and members of the Assembly to the negotiation table.
This time, peace was said to have been brokered with clearer conditions.
Parts of the agreement, according to sources, include:
Dissolution of the State Executive Council
Dissolution of Special Advisers
Re-presentation of the 2024 Budget
Submission of the 2026 Budget framework
Forwarding a fresh list of commissioner nominees to the Assembly
The Governor’s recent actions appear consistent with these reported terms.
Each failed attempt had deepened uncertainty across the state, affecting governance momentum, investor confidence and public morale.
A State Divided, A People Fatigued
Beyond the political elite, ordinary Rivers people have borne the brunt of the crisis.
Governance slowed to near standstill.
Investors reportedly held back or quietly withdrew. Businesses struggled.
The state became sharply divided along political lines — those loyal to Wike and those aligned with Governor Fubara.
Even social and religious spaces were not spared.
Friendships fractured.
Communities grew tense.
At the local government level, allegations emerged that appointments were skewed towards loyalists, deepening perceptions of exclusion and heightening resentment.
The atmosphere became toxic — and dangerously so.
Agreements Must Be Honoured
The reported new understanding between Governor Fubara, Minister Wike and members of the House of Assembly offers Rivers people something they desperately crave: stability without rancour.
But peace in politics is not sustained by meetings alone. It is sustained by:
Respect for constitutional boundaries
Commitment to both written and verbal agreements
Mutual restraint in public rhetoric
Swift implementation of agreed terms
Continuous dialogue in times of disagreement
Governor Fubara must continue to demonstrate openness and institutional respect.
The Assembly, on its part, must exercise its legislative authority responsibly without reverting to confrontation that could plunge the state into another cycle of crisis.
Rivers State cannot afford a fourth failed peace effort.
The people expect governance — roads constructed, salaries paid, schools functioning, hospitals operating — not endless political brinkmanship.
This moment transcends personalities. It is about legacy. It is about stability. It is about the future of Rivers State.
If agreements were indeed reached in those quiet rooms, then they must now be honoured — transparently and faithfully — through concrete action: budget passage, commissioner confirmations and sustained cooperation.
History will not remember who won the political contest. It will remember who secured peace — and kept it.
