Suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, has called on his supporters to accept a peace agreement between him and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, stating that a significant sacrifice is necessary to achieve lasting peace in the state.
Fubara made the appeal on Saturday while addressing members of his political support group, known as the Simplified Family, in Port Harcourt.
“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,” the governor said. “At this point, if you want to be truthful to yourself, the only solution is peace.”
He reiterated his commitment to dialogue and reconciliation, stating, “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.”
Fubara acknowledged the role played by Wike in his emergence as governor, despite their falling out.
“Nobody can take away the role Wike 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.”
He described peace achieved through mutual understanding as the only sustainable path forward, adding, “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.’”
Reassuring his supporters, Fubara said he remains committed to their welfare: “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… I will not abandon anybody.”
However, he cautioned that the road to peace may come at a cost. “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,” he said.
Fubara insisted that reconciliation with Wike was critical to the state’s progress and to the success of any presidential intervention. “Without a total reconciliation, which by the grace of God the both of us have gotten to, there’s no way we can make progress in this state. There’s no way the President can come in to save the situation.”
His remarks come just days after he held a closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, as part of ongoing efforts to resolve the protracted political crisis in Rivers State.
