Indications have emerged that the escalating political crisis in Rivers State over the impeachment threat against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, may soon ease following renewed reconciliation efforts involving key Niger Delta stakeholders.
New evidence emerged that both camps at the centre of the impasse , the governor and his estranged political mentor, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, have shown signs of softening their positions after separate engagements with a peace and reconciliation committee set up by the Pan Niger Delta Elders Forum (PANDEF).
A credible source disclosed that the seven-man committee, chaired by former Attorney-General of the Federation, Kanu Agabi (SAN), first met with Wike in Abuja last Thursday before holding a three-hour closed-door meeting with Governor Fubara on Friday in Port Harcourt.
The committee also met with the Chairman of the Rivers State Elders Council, Ferdinand Anabraba, a known ally of the FCT minister, as well as elders and political leaders from both camps.
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“So far, the meetings have been very fruitful,” the source said. “A lot was said publicly before now, but the outcome of these engagements is encouraging. There is renewed hope that the crisis can be resolved.”
The Agabi Peace Committee was inaugurated in Abuja last week and given two weeks to reconcile the warring parties and submit its report. Sources said the Port Harcourt consultations could provide a pathway to ending the prolonged political stalemate that has paralysed governance in the state.
Meanwhile, fresh details have emerged regarding the impeachment move by members of the Rivers State House of Assembly. Political insiders said the impeachment threat was less about alleged gross misconduct and more about political survival between Wike camp and Governor camp.
New sources within the Fubara camp indicate that the impeachment process may not advance beyond its current stage, particularly as court orders and reconciliation efforts gain traction.
In a related development, the Rivers State chapter of the APC urged the state Chief Judge, Simeon Amadi, to comply with an interim injunction restraining him from acting on any impeachment-related correspondence from the House of Assembly.
Adding a new dimension to the crisis, leaders of the Ijaw ethnic nationality announced increased political mobilisation in support of Governor Fubara. The President of the Ijaw Youth Council, Alaye Theophilus, claimed that over 50,000 Ijaw voters had transferred their voting units to Rivers State ahead of the next governorship election.
Similarly, the President of the Ijaw National Council, Benjamin Okaba, warned that any successful impeachment of Fubara would be viewed as a betrayal of the Ijaw people and could have wider democratic consequences.
The Wike-Fubara crisis began shortly after Fubara assumed office in 2023, despite Wike’s pivotal role in his emergence as governor. Their fallout, centred on control of state politics and the legislature, has since triggered repeated impeachment threats, court battles and federal interventions.
Although President Bola Tinubu has intervened on several occasions to stabilise the state, the latest reconciliation efforts by PANDEF are now seen as the most significant step yet toward lasting peace in Rivers State.
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