Make no mistakes about it, the recent so-called reso-lution of the crisis that en-gulfed River State shortly after the elections in 2023 which even-tually culminated in the declaration of emergency rule that brought the interim government of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas as sole administra-tor of the state can only be described as a temporary truce.
President Bola Tinubu and the stakeholders, including the gladiators have not addressed the real issues and simply papering over it cannot bring about a lasting solution.
Truth is President Tinubu and Nyesom Wike need Rivers State and all they needed to ensure it doesn鈥檛 slip from their grip was to simply whip Governor Siminalayi Fubara into line. That they achieved last week, but given the Olympic-sized ego and ambi-tion of Wike, can this fragile peace be maintained for long?
First, all parties, including Presi-dent Tinubu know that the problem of Rivers is Wike and that all that was needed was to tell him to concentrate on his assignment as Minister of the FCT, and allow Fubara to breathe.
The question to ask if Wike would have taken the same treatment as the Governor?
Now, let鈥檚 be clear here. Wike made Fubara governor. Wike planted all the so-called elected political office hold-ers within and outside Rivers during his reign as governor. No question about that. But did he do it with his personal funds? No. So he should stall development in the state just to prove his points?
That said, did Fubara betray him? Yes. But Wike himself is a betrayer personified. So, what moral rectitude is he to accuse Fubara of ingratitude when he has the reputation of having rubbished and betrayed everyone who had played various roles in his politi-cal career?
Truth is that the reason Wike seems larger than life and for which he still seems to be pulling too much weight around is because he still has the war chest or wherewithal of the FCT as Minister to sustain and main-tain maximum destruction wherever and whenever he wants.
That is why PDP鈥檚 crisis can go on forever, that is why he can threaten all PDP governors at the same time. And that also, is why he believes he can de-stroy a state that made him.
No one person can arrogate so much power to himself. Wike should remember that some day all of this will end.
The fight against Fubara is simply that Wike thinks because he made him Governor therefore what he says must be obeyed, no matter how unreason-able. If Wike is a genuine godfather with the interests of the state at heart, this fight really should be about Fuba-ra鈥檚 ability to deliver the dividend of democracy to the people of the state. He should be more interested in Fuba-ra taking the state a notch higher than he met it, but no, all he wants is to be in Abuja as Minister and still have a proxy Governor in Rivers.
Coming out from last Thursday night meeting with Tinubu, it was obvious that both parties barely con-cealed their differences, at least for the camera.
It should be the genuine position of all who mean well for the people of Rivers to see that peace finally re-turns to the state and that a crisis that could lead to loss of human lives and property is avoided. The best way to ensure peace is to ask parties to com-mit to delivering service to the people they serve.
Anyone who expects Fubara to be a puppet-governor just to make his benefactor happy, should realise that evidence before us does not support that.
It鈥檚 only in very rare circumstanc-es that that has happened. And in all instances where godfathers and godsons have fallen apart, it has been more often than not, as result of the overbearing nature of the godfathers.
After serving their tenure they cannot just bring themselves to the reality that the incumbent governor deserves as a modicum of respect and some room to operate.
In most instances the Governor is treated like an errand boy and ev-eryone at the dropping of the name of the godfather wants to be treated with the same courtesy. Friends and families alike, believe the Governor can be treated as they please. That can only last for a little while, because every human being wants to be treated with some respect.
Coming out from the meeting with President Tinubu, Wike reportedly said, 鈥淚 want to give God the glory that today is the 26th of June 2025, that peace has finally returned to the state. We all agreed to work together with the governor, and the governor also agreed to work together with all of us. We are members of the same political family.鈥
鈥淛ust like humans, you have dis-agreements, and then you also have a time to also settle your disagreements, and that has been finally concluded to-day, and we have come to report to Mr President that is what we have agreed.
鈥淪o for me, everything is over, and I enjoin everybody to work together with everybody. There is no more acrimony; there is nothing to say. We have disagreed; we have all agreed on everything, so thank God. For me, it鈥檚 a day we have to thank almighty God.鈥
On his part Governor Fubara said the return of peace is crucial to the state鈥檚 development.
鈥淔or me, it鈥檚 very important that this day has come to be. What we need for the progress of Rivers State is peace, and by the special grace of God this night, with the help of Mr Presi-dent and the agreement of the leaders of the state, peace has returned to Riv-ers State.鈥
It should be the prayer of all that this peace should be kept and that all parties in the dispute accord one an-other with due respect. Wike should support Fubara to serve the people of the state, while Fubara should also never forget that without Wike, he would not have been Governor. We know how our elections are; it is not about the people but the electoral heist we call election.
Governor Fubara has lost a lot of grounds and the more reason he should concentrate on serving his peo-ple, because he barely has two more years to serve.
He has to serve the people of Rivers in the remainder of his term, because a second term ticket he will never get from Wike. The PDP is in disarray and with Wike still controlling things there, a second term ticket Fubara will not get. Rivers State means more to both President Tinubu and Wike.
The best all parties will enjoy between now and 2027 would be the peace of the graveyard. The acrimony is deep-seated and cannot be wished away with a mere wave of the hand.