Fubara, Wike meet at Aso Rock amid Rivers political crisis

…As Police Council moves to confirm Egbetokun as IGP

By Egena Sunday Ode

Amid the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and his predecessor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, surprisingly exchanged pleasantries on Tuesday at the State House, Abuja.

Both of them are attending a meeting of the Police Council, which is chaired by President Bola Tinubu, and has the 36 governors, the Minister of the FCT, Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC) and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) as members.

The two politicians who are at the heart of the political crisis that blew open in the capital of Rivers State, Port Harcourt, on Monday, were seen outside the Council Chambers of the State House, shaking hands.

Some of the governors, including Wike and the National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu, were sighted as they engaged in an aside discussion while others engaged in exchanging of banters.

In the ensuing development, Wike later proceeded to shake hands and briefly exchange pleasantries with Governor Fubara after he had disengaged from the NSA.

It is the first time the Rivers State governor (decked in white Kaftan) and his estranged godfather, Wike (also spotting white kaftan) are meeting face to face since the beginning of the reported spat between them.

The political atmosphere in Port Harcourt suddenly turned chaotic on Monday when the State House of Assembly, split between the governor and his predecessor, with both sides making counter moves.

While the Wike group sacked the Leader of the House, Edison Ehie and later served a notice of impeachment on Governor Fubara, the governor’s loyalists in the House in turn sacked the Speaker, Martins Amaewhule, and replaced him with Ehie as new Speaker.

Leaders of thought in Rivers State across ethnic and political divides have, however, called on President Tinubu to intervene in the crisis in order to forestall a total breakdown of law and order in the state.

The security operatives around while both men were exchanging pleasantries would, however, not allow journalists capture the moment in pictures.

The Police Council is meeting to confirm the appointment of the Kayode Egbetokun as substantive Inspector-General of Police .

According to the web search results, the last time the Nigeria Police Council met was on June 4, 2021 when President Muhammadu Buhari presided over the meeting of the council at the State House.

Some of the state governors sighted and headed to attend today’s event are Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Dapo Abiodun- (Ogun), Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Abdullahi Abba (Kano), Bassey Ottu (Cross River), among others.