President Bola Tinubu held separate, closed-door meetings on Monday at the Presidential Villa with Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State and Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State.
The meetings occurred amid escalating political tension in Rivers and renewed speculation about Governor Fubara’s future in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Governor Fubara was sighted entering the State House around 5:01 p.m. and was received by the Presidential Protocol Liaison Officer before proceeding to the President’s office. He departed approximately 45 minutes later, around 5:45 p.m., though the specifics of their discussion were not disclosed at press time.
The timing of the meeting with Fubara is highly significant, coming just three days after a major political shift in his state. On Friday, 17 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, who are loyal to the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, and led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, defected from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
This mass defection has dramatically altered the balance of power within the state legislature and intensified uncertainty surrounding Fubara’s political standing. With the shift, only three lawmakers, viewed as loyal to the governor, remain in the PDP, and they have not resumed sitting since emergency rule in the state was lifted on September 18.
Minutes before Governor Fubara’s arrival, Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State had also been ushered in for a separate meeting with President Tinubu. The purpose of his visit was also not made public at the time of filing this report.
Governor Nwifuru, a former Speaker of the Ebonyi House of Assembly and a sitting APC governor, has maintained a consistent line of engagement with the Presidency in recent months, with discussions often focused on infrastructure development and security coordination within the South-East region.
