President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reportedly directed the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to put an immediate stop to moves aimed at impeaching Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
The Rivers State House of Assembly had, on January 8, initiated impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, accusing them of gross misconduct. The move marked the third impeachment attempt against Fubara since he assumed office in 2023.
The renewed impeachment effort followed accusations by Wike, a former governor of Rivers State, who alleged that Fubara violated the terms of a political truce earlier brokered by President Tinubu in June 2025.
Tinubu had previously stepped into the dispute in December 2023, facilitating a fragile reconciliation between the two political rivals. That agreement later collapsed, culminating in the declaration of a six-month state of emergency in Rivers State on March 18, 2025, alongside the suspension of the governor.
In a fresh attempt to calm tensions in what has become one of Nigeria’s most volatile political conflicts, the president reportedly ordered an immediate halt to all impeachment actions against Fubara, albeit under stringent conditions.
According to a report aired by ARISE News on Tuesday, Tinubu instructed Governor Fubara to formally acknowledge Wike as the recognised political leader of Rivers State. The intervention, the report said, was aimed at de-escalating the prolonged power struggle that has crippled governance in the oil-producing state and deepened divisions within the state legislature.
Sources cited by ARISE TV disclosed that the directive was issued shortly before Tinubu departed for an official visit to Türkiye on January 26, 2026, following renewed threats to remove the governor from office.
The president was also said to have ordered Wike and lawmakers loyal to him in the Rivers State House of Assembly to immediately abandon impeachment plans, warning that continued political confrontation could further destabilise the state and weaken governance.
However, Tinubu reportedly made it clear that the ceasefire would only be sustained if Governor Fubara agreed to major concessions, particularly by recognising Wike’s political seniority and authority over party structures in the state.
The president was quoted as emphasising the importance of respecting political hierarchy, describing Wike as a seasoned political figure whose influence in Rivers State politics remains significant despite ongoing personal and political differences.
The conflict between Fubara and Wike began shortly after Fubara’s inauguration in May 2023, when the governor sought to assert independence from his former political mentor.
