Tinubu Meets Fubara In London
President Bola Tinubu met with suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, in London. The meeting, confirmed by The Africa Report, was held at the insistence of Governor Fubara, who assumed office in May 2023. As of the time of this report, The PUNCH could not confirm the details of the meeting, as presidential aides contacted said they were not part of the President’s latest trip. However, officials confirmed that it was the first face-to-face meeting since Tinubu invoked Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution on March 18, declaring a state of emergency in Rivers State and removing Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, from office. Tinubu’s national broadcast on March 18 cited “months of intense political instability” that had “paralysed governance” and “threatened national stability.” He appointed Navy Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas as sole administrator. Opposition governors from seven PDP-controlled states immediately filed a suit at the Supreme Court, challenging the constitutionality of the proclamation and calling for a return to democratic governance. Tinubu, who had been in Paris and then London since 2 April, agreed to meet with Fubara in an effort to defuse the ongoing crisis. Officials said the pair discussed restoring a functional government in the oil-rich state. Although neither side disclosed specific details, presidential aides who spoke on condition of anonymity said the talks focused on the possibility of Fubara returning to office before the end of his six-month suspension. The President returned to Abuja on Monday night after spending 18 days abroad. It was learnt that Fubara’s estranged political godfather, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, was not part of the meeting and was reportedly uneasy about such discussions taking place without him. However, Tinubu is expected to meet with Fubara, Wike, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to chart a lasting resolution to the political crisis in the state. Punch