Behind Closed Doors: Fubara Visits Tinubu Following Emergency Rule in Rivers

Suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Tuesday met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Lagos as the political crisis in the oil-rich state continues to unfold.

Photos released by the State House showed Fubara engaged in a closed-door discussion with President Tinubu at his Lagos residence. Details of the meeting were yet to be disclosed at the time of filing this report.

This marks the second private meeting between the President and the embattled governor since Fubara’s suspension from office on March 18.

Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly were suspended by President Tinubu for a six-month period, following escalating tensions between the governor and the state legislature.

In a nationwide broadcast, President Tinubu announced the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, citing the need to restore stability and governance in the wake of the deepening political conflict.

To manage the state’s affairs during the emergency period, Tinubu appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas as the state’s administrator.

The outcome of the latest meeting remains unknown, but political observers believe it may be part of ongoing efforts to resolve the impasse and possibly reintegrate key figures ahead of the expiration of the emergency rule.