Despite sharp criticisms that greeted President Tinubu’s declaration of state of emergency in Rivers State and the suspension of the democratically elected governor, Siminalayi Fubara, the suspended governor has been lobbying his way back to power. 
Reports have it that Fubara has been reaching out to his estranged political godfather and now minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike pledging renewed loyalty.
Just yesterday, Fubara who has been wanted to meet the President in his Abuja’s official official residence finally made it to Lagos to see the President in his private home in Lagos.
Bayo Onanuga, the special adviser to the president on information and strategy, confirmed the development in a statement on Tuesday, June 3 via his social media handle X, where Onanuga posted the photos of the visit. Fubara was said to have held a closed-door meeting with the president during the visit.
The visit came on the second day, Fubara’s estranged political godfather and now minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, held a media briefing and mentioned how he always feels sad when he sees how he was betrayed by the suspended governor. Wike, a two-term former governor of Rivers state, made this revelation during a media chat with selected journalists in Abuja on Monday, June 2. He clarified his stance regarding the ongoing political crisis in Rivers state and his fallout with Fubara, who was suspended from office since March 2025. The minister also noted that he often asked himself if Fubara’s actions toward him were necessary, despite the role he played to ensure he succeeded him.
Recall that President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers state on March 18, 2025, suspending Governor Fubara, his deputy, and the state House of Assembly, and appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd) as sole administrator. Wike and Fubara have been at loggerheads barely six months after the latter resumed office over the control of Rivers State’s political structure. The state has continued to make the headlines since Fubara’s suspension, as various stakeholders continue to fault President Tinubu’s decision, but the president had claimed that his actions were in the interest of the South-South state.
