President Bola Tinubu has resolved the lingering political crisis between the Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his immediate predecessor who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike.
With the intervention of Tinubu, eight point resolutions were reached during a two-hour meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Monday with both sides in the political impasse given instructions on the way forward.
The eight-point resolution made available to journalists also showed concessions reached and actions to be taken for peace to reign in Rivers State.
According to the document, all impeachment proceedings initiated against Fubara by the Rivers State House of Assembly must be stopped without further delay just as it directed Fubara to withdraw all matters he has before the courts.
The document also directed that Amaewhule’s leadership of the House of Assembly be recognised, just as it directed Governor Fubara to re-present the state’s 2024 Budget to the Amaewhule-led Assembly.
The eight point resolutions are as follows:
“ALL matters instituted in the courts by the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Fubara, and his team, in respect of the political crisis in Rivers State, shall be withdrawn IMMEDIATELY.
“ALL impeachment proceedings initiated against the Governor of Rivers State by the Rivers State House of Assembly should be dropped immediately.
“The leadership of the Rivers State House of Assembly as led by the Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule shall be recognized alongside the 27 members who resigned from the PDP.
“The remunerations and benefits of ALL members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and their staff must be reinstated immediately and the Governor of Rivers State shall henceforth not interfere with the full funding of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“The Rivers State House of Assembly shall choose where they want to sit and conduct their legislative business without interference and/or hindrance from the Executive arm of government.
“The Governor of Rivers State, Sir Fubara, shall re-present the state budget to a properly constituted Rivers State House of Assembly.
“The names of ALL commissioners in the Rivers State Executive Council who resigned their appointments because of the political crisis in the state should be resubmitted to the House of Assembly for approval.
“There should NOT be a caretaker committee for the local governments in Rivers State. The dissolution of the Local Government administration is null and void and shall not be recognized.”
It is instructive to note that those who signed the eight -point resolution were Fubara; Wike; Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Prof. Ngozi Odu, National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu; Speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Martin Amaewhule; Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, Aaron Chukwuemeka; and Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Tony Okocha.
Others who attended the peace meeting were Vice President Kashim Shettima; Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; and a former Governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili.
