Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Wike disclosed that both men were in contact on Wednesday night, a sign he says reflects renewed cooperation between the state’s political stakeholders.
“As I speak to you, as of yesterday, I spoke to the governor (Fubara). I told him I was leaving that night to come back, and he told me he was leaving this morning. So, I can tell you that, by the grace of God, peace has returned. And look at what the Assembly did today to set the tone — you can see peace; you can see we are prepared, for the interest of the state. Let’s move forward,” Wike said.
When pressed on who initiated the call, Wike dismissed the question as irrelevant, stressing that the focus should be on reconciliation.
“It is not important who called whom. What matters is that peace has returned to the state,” he maintained
Wike also disclosed that he has forgiven Governor Fubara, ending the protracted rift that plunged the state into crisis earlier this year.
“I have already said that we’ve been speaking. I will not engage with a man I have not forgiven. Everything is over. I am not a politician who says one thing today and another tomorrow. We must move forward,” the FCT Minister affirmed.
In March, President Bola Tinubu suspended Governor Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and the Rivers State House of Assembly after a bitter fallout between Wike and his successor. The president later declared a state of emergency, citing the paralysis of governance in the state.
Wike further criticized unnamed actors he accused of undermining reconciliation efforts in the state.
“Unfortunately, there are people who do not want peace. Today, I watched individuals twisting the law, claiming illegality in the conduct of local government elections. But ask them: what did they do to prevent such illegality in the first place? When you hear them pontificating and shouting, you would think they have solutions—yet they do nothing except attempt to create crisis. The president has done a great deal for us, and peace has been restored,” Wike argued.
With the state of emergency now lifted, both Wike and Fubara are under renewed public scrutiny to ensure Rivers State avoids a return to instability.
