Suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has told his loyalists that accepting a peace deal with his predecessor, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, felt like a kick in the teeth.
Fubara disclosed this during a meeting with his support base in Port Harcourt, the state capital, on Saturday, June 28, 2025.
He noted that, even though the reconciliation feels “heavy” and “bitter,” it is a necessary sacrifice to restore stability and development to Rivers. He, therefore, urged his loyalists, otherwise known as the ‘Simplified Family,' to align with the peace accord.
Last week, President Bola Tinubu brokered a peace deal between the suspended Governor and his predecessor's camp, signalling an end to a protracted political feud that has impacted governance in the oil-rich state.
ALSO READ: Tinubu set to lift emergency in Rivers as Wike, Fubara seal peace deal
“After the meeting we had before May 29th, we’ve had a series of meetings and one of the meetings we had was the one we met with the President, and President Tinubu clearly said, ‘I want you and your oga to settle,’” Fubara recounted.
Fubara warns that both parties must respect the peace deal
The Governor also acknowledged Wike's role in his political journey, urging his followers to look beyond past grievances and embrace the path of peace.
“Nobody can take away the role my oga played; that’s the truth, yes, we might have our differences, but nobody here will say he doesn’t know the role the man played.
“Nobody can wish away the risk he took; yes, at a point we had our differences, and if today a need for us to settle, please, anyone who genuinely believes in me should understand that it’s the right thing to do,” he stated.
Fubara also said that authentic peace must stem from a genuine commitment by both parties, revealing that he and Wike had already met and discussed their grievances privately.
“So, my dear fathers, brothers and sisters, no matter the level of peace that a mediator will arrange, the true peace is the one both of you are sitting down together to say, ‘Yes, this is what we want,’” he said.
“At this point, I’ve met him, and we have spoken; you can’t take away his not being hurt; he’s a human being. I also have my own share of pains too, and if he feels that for the pains he has gone through, these are things he wants, in as much it is not my life, I will give it to him and let us have that peace because even while all these things are going, I still, in my quiet time, appreciate and recognise the role he played, and every one of us here knows it.”
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With the peace deal, expectations are high that President Tinubu will lift the state of emergency imposed on Rivers, including the suspension of Fubara, his deputy and members of the state House of Assembly.
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