President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and leaders of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) to collaborate towards the peaceful implementation of the Supreme Court’s verdict concerning the prolonged political crisis in the state. The Supreme Court recently reinstated the Martin Amaewhule-led leadership of the Rivers State House of Assembly, dismissing Governor Fubara’s appeal challenging the legitimacy of 27 assembly members. Following the judgment, the Assembly, loyal to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the governor to submit the 2025 appropriation bill and shunned the governor’s invitation to a parley. The All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state has also threatened impeachment, further escalating political tensions.

During a meeting with PANDEF leaders, President Tinubu expressed disappointment that the crisis had persisted despite his intervention last year. He emphasized Nigeria’s commitment to the rule of law, stating, “This is a nation of rule of law. I would not be here as president of Nigeria if there was no rule of law. I have total confidence in our judiciary.” He urged PANDEF leaders to help in implementing the recommendations of the Supreme Court’s verdict.

Governor Fubara has pledged to fully implement the Supreme Court’s judgment, emphasizing that the interests of Rivers State must always take precedence over personal ambitions. However, the Supreme Council for Sim Worldwide, a pro-Fubara group, has issued a stern warning against impeachment moves, following a call by Rivers State APC Chairman Chief Tony Okocha for the governor to resign or face impeachment.

Despite reassurance from involved parties, the political situation in Rivers State remains tense. President Tinubu emphasized the need for adherence to the rule of law in Rivers to ensure lasting peace and prosperity but added that the matter has gone beyond him after past interventions failed to resolve the crisis. The present danger persists with the governor having to account for his actions in the last one year before the newly recognized Rivers State House of Assembly.

President Tinubu, addressing political leaders from the South-South in Abuja, reiterated that respect for the judiciary is crucial in upholding democracy and fostering harmony. He recounted his past efforts to forge peace in the state, stating, “I foresaw the problem we have today festering for too long before I intervened...I called both parties together, we reached an agreement, a written agreement which everyone in attendance signed but what happened after? I said, go back home and implement the recommendations within the shortest possible time, I told the governor, I put the ball back in your court. Privatively and openly, I have intervened and counselled the governor to pursue the path of peace and stoop to conquer but he decided otherwise.”

King Alfred Papapreye Diete-Spiff, Amanyanabo of Twon-Brass Kingdom and Co-Chairman of the PANDEF Board of Trustees, thanked the President for his commitment to South-South well-being and appointments given to Niger Delta indigenes. Obong Victor Attah, former governor of Akwa Ibom State and co-chair of the PANDEF Board of Trustees, called for further intervention in the Rivers State crises, stating that the political crises in Rivers State threaten national stability and deserve more attention.

The situation in Rivers is particularly tense, with Fubara, an Ijaw man, facing off against his estranged godfather, Nyesom Wike, an Ikwerre man and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Some Ijaw groups have even threatened to take up arms if the State House of Assembly, dominated by Wike’s loyalists, proceed with plans to impeach Fubara.

Fubara confessed that the past 16 months have not been easy for him as governor of Rivers State, and that the protection of the interests of Rivers State is paramount. He said that his administration will fully implement the recent judgement of the Supreme Court of Nigeria on the political crisis in the State. The Governor explained: “It has not been an easy 16 months, but what is important is the interest of our State, which must be above our personal interests. I want to say it here, very loud and clear to everyone: the Supreme Court has given a judgment, and my administration is going to implement the judgment to its fullest. The reason is clear: It is not about me; it is about the good of this state.”

Supporters of the governor under the aegis of the National Supreme Council for Sim Worldwide vowed that the governor will not be impeached, challenging the Tony Okocha-led All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state to state why the governor should be impeached. Also, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has commended Fubara for extending an olive branch to pro-Wike lawmakers.

Renowned human rights activist and environmentalist, Annkio Briggs, has decried the challenges facing Fubara, stating that he has not been allowed to govern effectively for the past two years, criticizing the influence of Wike over the state’s affairs. MEANWHILE, the Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, has condemned the plot to cause ethnic division in the state, vowing that the lawmakers would continue to push for the unity, peace and progress of the state.