Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, held a closed-door meeting in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, with Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Nyesom Wike, Nigeria’s Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, as efforts continued to calm a political dispute in Rivers State, an oil-producing state in southern Nigeria’s Niger Delta region.
The late-night intervention took place at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the official office complex of the Nigerian president. The discussions also involved other influential political figures from Rivers State, according to reports.
Okay News reports that while the details of the talks were not made public, the meeting signalled another attempt by the federal government of Nigeria to reduce tensions between two of the most powerful political blocs in Rivers State.
Reports has it that Governor Fubara and Minister Wike later went to Wike’s residence in Guzape, a district in Abuja, after the discussions at the Presidential Villa.
The report further claimed that Fubara allegedly appealed to Wike and promised to avoid any future actions that could be seen as disrespect, suggesting that both men may be moving toward reconciliation after weeks of political friction that has affected governance and party structures in the state.
The Rivers dispute matters because the state is one of Nigeria’s key economic centres due to its role in the country’s oil and gas industry, and prolonged political instability can disrupt administration, public policy priorities, and investor confidence.
For now, Nigerians and political observers are waiting to see whether the Tinubu-backed talks will lead to a clear public agreement, further meetings, or a formal statement from the presidency or the Rivers State government.
