The ongoing political discord in Rivers State witnessed a notable moment when the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, and Governor Siminalayi Fubara reportedly avoided exchanging pleasantries during their meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Villa on Tuesday.
Both Wike and Governor Fubara were part of a delegation from Ogoni, visiting the President to discuss the potential resumption of oil production in Ogoniland. A source who attended the meeting shared details, revealing that despite posing for a photograph with President Tinubu, neither Wike nor Governor Fubara exchanged greetings. “Though both of them posed for a photograph with the President, they did not exchange pleasantries. No hug. No greetings. Everybody went straight for the meeting with the President and after that we all left,” the source said.
Wike, arriving at the Villa, had plans to inspect and commission several projects following the meeting. “Immediately after the group photograph with the President, he went back to his duty post,” the source continued, suggesting that the visit was focused solely on official matters. It was emphasized that as a minister representing Rivers, Wike had a professional obligation to be present whenever a delegation from the state met with the President. However, the source was quick to clarify that the meeting was not a venue for discussing the ongoing political crisis in Rivers. “The meeting was not a platform for the discussion of Rivers political crisis. It was strictly a business parley,” the source added.
Regarding the possibility of the President addressing the rift between the two leaders, the source confirmed that no such conversation took place. Instead, President Tinubu engaged in a brief exchange with Magnus Abe, another key figure. “The President only engaged Magnus (Abe). He told Magnus that he had not been seeing him for some time and Magnus replied that he had been around with the FCT Minister. At that point, Wike confirmed that Magnus had been working with him,” the source revealed. This exchange between the President and Magnus Abe highlighted that the meeting focused on business, not the tensions between Wike and Fubara.
Ultimately, the meeting underscored the ongoing political division in Rivers State, with the two major political figures, Wike and Fubara, maintaining their distance even in the presence of President Tinubu.
