FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara have held a four-hour closed-door meeting in Port Harcourt as efforts to consolidate the political reconciliation between their camps gather pace ahead of the 2027 elections.
The meeting took place at Fubara’s private residence on Tuesday and was attended by the Rivers State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Kingsley Chinda, former Senator Magnus Abe and supporters from the different political camps.
Wike and Chinda arrived at about 4pm, with the meeting ending around 8pm.
The participants did not disclose what was discussed or whether any specific decisions were reached.
The engagement marks another step in the rapprochement between Wike and Fubara after years of political disagreements that created deep divisions among politicians and supporters in Rivers State.
Their dispute, which began after Fubara succeeded Wike as governor in 2023, escalated into a prolonged crisis involving the governor and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The conflict eventually affected the broader political structure associated with Wike, with the two camps operating separately for an extended period.
The relationship began to improve this year as the Wike-led Rainbow Coalition opened reconciliation talks with Fubara’s camp.
A committee headed by former Senator Magnus Abe subsequently held meetings with the governor as part of efforts to rebuild the political relationship.
At one of the meetings in August, Abe said members of the political family would not be victimised because of their past disagreements and described the reconciliation process as a return of the political family.
Fubara later publicly declared that the period of political conflict was over.
In July, the governor announced his support for the Rainbow Coalition and President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 presidential bid. He also backed Chinda and urged his supporters to support candidates under the coalition’s platform.
The declaration represented a significant political realignment in Rivers State, given Fubara’s previous confrontation with Wike and his political allies.
The latest meeting brings the two camps together at a time when preparations for the 2027 elections are gradually intensifying.
Wike had earlier said the Rainbow Coalition would collectively determine who succeeds Fubara in the Rivers governorship race. Fubara, however, has publicly endorsed Chinda, making the governorship contest an important element of the coalition’s emerging political arrangement.
Several supporters previously aligned with Fubara have also begun moving towards the coalition following the governor’s declaration.
Tuesday’s meeting could therefore provide an opportunity for the different factions to further discuss how their political structures will operate together.
However, none of the participants publicly confirmed that campaign strategy or candidate arrangements were discussed.
Wike, Chinda and their supporters did not speak to journalists after the meeting. Fubara and members of his team also maintained silence.
The absence of an official statement has left the specific issues considered during the four-hour meeting undisclosed.
What is clear is that the political relationship between Wike and Fubara has entered a markedly different phase from the confrontation that dominated Rivers politics in the past two years.
With the 2027 elections approaching, the next test for the emerging Rainbow Coalition will be whether the reconciliation can be translated into a coordinated political structure capable of accommodating the interests of the former rival camps.
