Wike, Fubara, Chinda hold four-hour reconciliation meeting in Port Harcourt

Efforts to consolidate the political reconciliation in Rivers State received fresh momentum on Tuesday as FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in the state, Kingsley Chinda, met in Port Harcourt.

The closed-door meeting, which lasted about four hours, brought together key figures and supporters from the two political camps.

Wike and Chinda arrived at the governor’s residence at about 4pm with their supporters and joined Fubara and members of his political camp for the discussions. The meeting ended at about 8pm.

The engagement marked the first known occasion on which Fubara personally hosted or participated in a reconciliation meeting involving his supporters and members of Wike’s camp.

The development comes after years of political disagreements between the governor and Wike, as well as a prolonged dispute involving the Rivers State House of Assembly and lawmakers loyal to the FCT minister.

The political crisis became severe in 2025, when President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspended the governor, his deputy and members of the state House of Assembly. The emergency rule was lifted later that year, paving the way for the return of the elected officials and renewed reconciliation efforts.

Since then, both camps have taken steps towards rebuilding their political relationship. Fubara has publicly indicated that he has returned to the political family that produced him as governor, while Wike has welcomed the development and called for cooperation ahead of the 2027 elections.

The latest meeting was viewed by political observers as another effort to cement the emerging rapprochement and establish a more coordinated relationship among the various political interests in Rivers State.

However, the specific issues discussed during the four-hour session and any decisions reached were not made public.

Neither Wike, Chinda and their supporters nor Fubara and members of his team addressed journalists after the meeting. The participants therefore left without providing details about the outcome of the discussions.

The meeting also comes against the backdrop of preparations for the 2027 general elections. Wike recently said Fubara had corrected his political mistakes by returning to the political family that supported his emergence as governor and expressed his willingness to work with the governor and other political stakeholders.

The reconciliation process could have significant implications for Rivers State politics as the major political actors position themselves ahead of the 2027 elections.

For now, the four-hour meeting represents another visible step in the effort to sustain the peace between the previously divided camps, although the durability and political consequences of the rapprochement remain to be seen.