Fubara speaks on reconciliation with Wike, says no sacrifice too big for peace in Rivers

Siminalayi Fubara, the suspended governor of Rivers, says no sacrifice is too big to ensure peace, stability, and progress in the state.

On Thursday, Fubara and Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), attended a late night peace meeting hosted by President Bola Tinubu at the presidential villa in Abuja.

On Saturday, Lere Olayinka, the minister’s spokesperson, shared in an X post that Wike and Fubara were in Port Harcourt, the state capital, for the burial of the FCT minister’s uncle.

Speaking to his supporters some hours later, Fubara reassured them that his recent reconciliation with Wike was made with the collective interest of Rivers people in mind.

Acknowledging the disappointment and anxiety among some loyalists over the peace deal, Fubara said difficult times require difficult decisions.

The suspended governor admitted that the new political realities may be hard to accept, especially for those who have stood by him through the crisis, but said the ultimate goal is peace and stability in the state.

“We have fought. I think, in my own assessment and in the assessment of anyone here who is genuine in this struggle, you will know that we have done what we need to do,” Fubara said.

“At this point, if you want to be truthful to yourself, the only solution is peace. I did say that there’s no price that is too big for peace — I meant it, and I’m still ready to follow it to the end.

“Nobody can take away the role the FCT Minister, Chief Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, played — that’s the truth. Yes, we might have our differences, but nobody here will say he doesn’t know the role he played.

“Nobody can wish away the risk he took. Yes, at a point we had our differences and if today there’s need for us to settle, please, anyone who genuinely believes in me should understand that it’s the right thing to do.

“So, my dear fathers, brothers and sisters, no matter the level of peace that a mediator will arrange, the true peace is the one where both of you are sitting down together to say, “Yes, this is what we want.”

Fubara said the political crisis has delayed several development projects across Rivers state but expressed optimism that the reconciliation would accelerate project implementation.

“It’s not even about me as a person — it’s about the overall interest of the state. In the midst of this crisis between me and the FCT Minister, look at the projects we’ve initiated. Many have been abandoned,” he said.

“We know the progress we would have recorded and the areas that would have been developed. So, there’s need for this peace — that’s the truth.

“I can’t abandon you people — that’s one thing I need to say here. This is the time for me to prove to you that I care for you, and I make my commitment here that whichever way it goes, I will not abandon anybody.

“But the sacrifice that we are going to make for us to achieve this total peace is going to be heavy, and I want everybody to prepare for it.”