Rivers crisis: Tinubu directs halt to Fubara’s impeachment, makes Wike undisputed political leader

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has stepped into the escalating political crisis in Rivers State, directing an immediate stop to the impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara. Alongside the halt, the President issued fresh political directives aimed at restoring stability in the state.

According to TheLeader, the intervention came just before Tinubu departed Nigeria for an official visit to Türkiye on January 26. The presidential directive follows months of unsuccessful reconciliation efforts, which had left Rivers State mired in legislative deadlock, political tension, and governance uncertainty.

The president ordered that all impeachment moves against Fubara be suspended with immediate effect, warning that the prolonged feud was fast becoming a threat to democratic governance and national political stability.

This is the second major intervention by Tinubu in the Rivers crisis. In December 2023, he brokered a truce between the warring camps, an agreement that later collapsed and culminated in the declaration of a six-month emergency rule in the state on March 18, 2025, during which Governor Fubara was suspended.

This newspaper learned that the President expressed frustration over the depth of the crisis, cautioning that continued hostilities could destabilise a strategic state critical to his broader political calculations ahead of 2027.

He directed Wike to put an end to all impeachment-related manoeuvres and allow the machinery of government to function without disruption. At the same time, Fubara was warned to respect political seniority and established structures.

Expressing his point, He drew parallels with Lagos politics, stressing that personal disagreements do not overturn political hierarchy, and insisting that Wike be treated as an elder statesman in Rivers political affairs.

The relationship between Fubara and Wike deteriorated barely weeks after Fubara’s inauguration in May 2023, despite Wike’s central role in his emergence as governor.

Tensions escalated as Fubara sought to assert his authority, resisting what his allies described as attempts by Wike to retain firm control of state affairs from Abuja. The struggle split political actors in the state, with the majority of lawmakers aligning with Wike.

Multiple impeachment threats against Fubara by the pro-Wike faction of the House of Assembly kept the governor under constant pressure, while several mediation efforts failed to achieve lasting peace.

While Wike’s camp accuses Fubara of political betrayal, supporters of the governor insist that Rivers State cannot be governed by a former governor now serving as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

As part of the fresh arrangement, it was gathered that Tinubu instructed the APC leadership to recognise candidates loyal to Wike in the forthcoming Rivers State House of Assembly by-elections.

The president was said to have insisted that Wike-backed aspirants for the Ahoada East II and Khana II constituencies be accommodated within the party structure.

The Independent National Electoral Commission has fixed February 21, 2026, for the by-elections. The Ahoada East II seat became vacant following the resignation of Edison Ehie, who was appointed Chief of Staff to Governor Fubara, while the Khana II seat has remained vacant since the death of its lawmaker, Dinebari Loolo, in September 2023.

This newspaper also learnt that discussions touched on Fubara’s second-term ambition, but the issue was deliberately shelved. Tinubu reportedly described any conversation about the 2027 governorship race as premature.

Despite Wike’s influence, the political situation remains delicate, given that he is still formally a member of the opposition PDP in Rivers State while serving as a senior minister in the APC-led federal government.

For now, Tinubu’s latest intervention has paused the impeachment threat, but whether it will deliver lasting peace in Rivers State remains uncertain.