President Bola Tinubu recently held a meeting in London with the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, according to a report by The Africa Report.
The meeting reportedly took place at Governor Fubara’s request. Fubara, who assumed office in May 2023, has been at the center of a political crisis in Rivers State.
As of the time of this report, Diaspora Lens had not independently verified the content or outcome of the discussion. Presidential aides reached for comment stated that they were not part of the President’s latest foreign engagement.
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However, sources confirmed that this marks the first in-person meeting between Tinubu and Fubara since the President invoked Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution on March 18, declaring a state of emergency in Rivers State. That declaration resulted in the removal of both Governor Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, from office.
In a national broadcast on the same day, Tinubu cited “months of intense political instability” that had “paralysed governance” and posed a threat to national stability as reasons for his actions.
Following the declaration, Tinubu appointed Navy Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas as the sole administrator of Rivers State.
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The decision sparked immediate legal pushback, with governors from seven PDP-led states filing a suit at the Supreme Court, challenging the constitutionality of the President’s proclamation and demanding a return to democratic governance in the state.
President Bola Tinubu, who had been abroad in Paris and later London since April 2, agreed to meet with Governor Siminalayi Fubara as part of efforts to resolve the ongoing political turmoil in Rivers State.
According to officials, the discussions centered on restoring effective governance in the oil-rich state.
While the specifics of the meeting remain undisclosed, presidential aides—speaking on condition of anonymity—revealed that talks touched on the possibility of Fubara returning to office before completing his six-month suspension.
Tinubu returned to Abuja on Monday night, concluding an 18-day trip.
Sources also confirmed that Nyesom Wike, Fubara’s estranged political mentor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, was not present at the meeting and is said to be uneasy about high-level negotiations taking place without his involvement.
Nonetheless, the President is expected to hold a broader meeting with Fubara, Wike, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to seek a comprehensive and lasting resolution to the crisis.
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