By Sar Terver
When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced on September 17, 2025, that the six-month state of emergency in Rivers State had been lifted, many residents breathed a sigh of relief.
For half a year, the oil-rich state had endured the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and the state legislature. Governance was frozen under a Sole Administrator, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, who was given the task to restore order.
The emergency rule, declared on March 18, followed heightened political tension marked by a failed impeachment attempt against Fubara, protests, and resurgence of oil pipeline explosions.
Tinubu justified the drastic intervention by pointing to the rift between the Executive and Legislature, but many insiders insisted the real crisis was more personal: a godson who refused to do his godfather’s bidding.
That godfather was Nyesom Wike, former governor of Rivers State and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. Once Fubara’s strongest political backer, Wike soon became his fiercest opponent as the governor began to assert independence.
What began as quiet tension soon escalated into open conflict, splitting the State Assembly and spilling onto the streets of Port Harcourt. By the time the emergency was declared, Rivers had become a theatre of political warfare, with accusations of betrayal flying in all directions.
Yet, as Tinubu reinstated Fubara on September 18th, the narrative shifted. The Governor, who had spent six months in the cold, now struck a conciliatory tone.
In his statewide broadcast of September 19, Fubara acknowledged the difficult months under emergency rule and declared that “our Leader, His Excellency Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and I, as your Governor, have all accepted to bury the hatchet and embrace peace and reconciliation.”
The words were carefully chosen, signaling both loyalty and submission. “We believe the political crisis is now behind us and that peace and stability have once again returned to Rivers State,” Fubara said. “We must all remember the saying that the costliest peace is cheaper than the cheapest war.”
For Port Harcourt journalist Amaka Obiozor who spoke in a telephone interview, the reconciliation is more than symbolic. “If you listened to Wike’s speech on Channels, he promised to support his son to succeed in the interest of the State,” she explained. “Unity is now essential, because Rivers State cannot afford another six months of paralysis.”
But residents like Chief Emeka Nwoye, a businessman in Obio-Akpor, remain skeptical. “Wike has made promises before, but he may relapse into stiff retrogressive demands. We Rivers people need guarantees, not just words. This peace must go beyond rhetoric”, he urged
Observers say the reconciliation presents both opportunities and risks. On one hand, it offers a chance to restore political stability and resume governance after months of uncertainty.
On the other, it raises questions about the independence of Fubara’s administration. Critics argue that leaning too heavily on Wike who is the main protagonist in the power struggle, risks turning the governor into a little more than a figurehead.
“If people begin to see Fubara as merely Wike’s proxy, public trust in his leadership will collapse,” warned a lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt who asked not to be named.
The tension between autonomy and dependence is not new in Rivers politics. Wike himself once battled accusations of being a pawn of his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi, before eventually eclipsing him. The irony is not lost on Rivers residents who now see the cycle of godfather and godson replaying in dramatic fashion.
Former Ijaw Youth Council president Udengs Eradiri recently weighed in, advising Fubara to avoid what he called “proxies and crisis-merchants” and focus instead on making peace with Wike.
“This state has suffered enough instability. Reconciliation is the only way forward, but it must be on terms that strengthen governance, not weaken it”, he urged.
On the streets of Port Harcourt, the reactions are divided. Some residents describe the truce as a “political necessity” that could bring development if both men keep their promises. Others fear that the godfather-godson dynamic will continue to stifle independent leadership.
Social media reflects the same split: while some users celebrate what they call “a new dawn for Rivers,” others dismiss it as “old wine in new bottles.”
The implications are national. Rivers, as Nigeria’s oil hub, is too strategic to be left in chaos. Pipeline vandalism during the crisis had already threatened production levels, raising concerns in Abuja. Political instability in Rivers often sends ripples across the Niger Delta, making peace in the state a matter of national interest.
For now, Governor Fubara faces a delicate balancing act. He must consolidate peace with Wike without losing his credibility as an independent leader.
He must assure Rivers people that their interests, not just political deals, will guide his government. And he must prove that the last six months were not in vain, but a hard lesson in humility, resilience, and compromise.
As Fubara himself noted in his broadcast, “the responsibility now rests squarely on us to put aside our differences, work for the common good, and advance the interests of our people above all else.” It is a call that resonates beyond the governor’s office and into the heart of a state eager to move forward.
The current development in Rivers is a little break from a long nightmare, amid calls by some interest groups calling on the reinstated Governor Fubara to sack political appointees of of Ibas over what they termed as imposition.
The question is whether Rivers can finally break the cycle of political godfatherism, or whether history is destined to repeat itself.
