Wike, Fubara sign eight-point peace agreement in Aso Villa

Nyesom Wike
Nyesom Wike

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike and the incumbent Rivers governor Siminalayi Fubara found a middle ground on Monday following intervention from Aso Villa.

Both men have been locked in a battle of supremacy which has thrown Rivers into a political crisis.

President Bola Tinubu met with the duo behind closed doors.

At the end of the meeting attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; the state deputy governor, Prof Ngozi Ordu, a former governor of Rivers State, Peter Odili, and some other stakeholders, it was agreed that the leadership of the state House of Assembly as led by the Martin Amaewhule shall be recognised alongside the 26 members who dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The communiqué was signed by the governor, his deputy, Wike, national security adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; factional speaker of the Assembly, Amaewhule, PDP chairman in Rivers State, Aaron Chukwuemeka; and APC caretaker chairman in the state, Tony Okocha.

The communiqué read, “All matters instituted in the courts by the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Fubara, and his team, in respect of the political crisis in Rivers State, shall be withdrawn immediately.

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“All impeachment proceedings initiated against the governor of Rivers State by the Rivers State House of Assembly should be dropped immediately.

“The leadership of the Rivers State House of Assembly as led by the Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule shall be recognised alongside the 27 members who resigned from the PDP.

“The remuneration and benefits of all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and their staff must be reinstated immediately and the Governor of Rivers State shall henceforth not interfere with the full funding of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

“The Rivers State House of Assembly shall choose where they want to sit and conduct their legislative business without interference and/or hindrance from the executive arm of government.

“The Governor of Rivers State, Sir Fubara, shall re-present the state budget to a properly constituted Rivers State House of Assembly.

“The names of all commissioners in the Rivers State Executive Council, who resigned their appointments because of the political crisis in the state, should be resubmitted to the House of Assembly for approval.

“There should not be a caretaker committee for the local governments in Rivers State. The dissolution of the local government administration is null and void and shall not be recognised.”

Tinubu had previously met with both men but there were no written commitments.