President Bola Tinubu held a stakeholder meeting with Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers, his predecessor and minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike, former governor Peter Odili and other prominent figures and ended with eight far-reaching resolutions.
According to the details shared by the office of the special adviser to the president on social media, the governor agreed to withdraw all court cases instituted against members of the state assembly who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
On the other hand, the state house of assembly also agreed to stop all impeachment proceedings instituted against Governor Fubara.
Part of the resolution was the recognition of the leadership of the state house of assembly led by Martin Amaewhule and 27 other lawmakers who defected to the APC from the PDP and are purely the camp of Wike.
Below is the full list of the eight agreements:
Withdrawal of court cases
Recall that on Monday, December 11, 27 of the lawmakers loyal to the FCT minister Nyesom Wike dumped the PDP for the APC, a development that fueled the state's crisis. Governor Fubara and the factional chairman of the house, Edison Ehie, instituted legal action against them when Ehie declared their seats vacant.
Stopping impeachment proceedings
Another critical resolution was the agreement to stop the impeachment proceedings the Amaewhule-led faction initiated against Governor Fubara in late October.
The house served impeachment notice on the governor in October, a situation that brought a silent war between Fubara and Wike to the centre stage in the media.
Recognition of Martin Amaewhule-led faction in Rivers assembly
The peace deal brokered by President Tinubu also recognised the leadership of the 27 members of the Rivers state house of assembly as the authentic lawmaking body in the state.
The house split into factions since the Amaewhule-led leadership served the governor an impeachment notice.
Remuneration and benefits of assembly
The peace deal also agreed that the remuneration and benefits of the Rivers state house of assembly members and staff would be reinstated immediately.
Governor Fubara-led executive will henceforth no longer interfere with the funding of the assembly.
Lawmakers sitting
The lawmakers will henceforth choose where to have their sittings without interference or hindrance from the executive.
The independence of the legislature practically reinstated the structure Wike clamoured for.
Re-presentation of 2024 budget
Governor Fubara also agreed to re-present the over N80 billion 2024 budget to the state assembly with the defected members in attendance.
Fubara had presented the budget to four lawmakers loyal to him at the state house and signed it the following day.
Reappointing resigned commissioners
The governor will also be resending the names of the commissioners who have resigned to the state house of assembly for re-appointment.
After the governor signed the appropriation bill 24 hours after its presentation to four lawmakers loyal to him, no less than nine of the 18 commissioners resigned, citing personal reasons.
Local government administration return
The peace accord by Wike, Fubara, and Tinubu declared null and void, the dissolution of local government administration.
Thus, it was agreed that Rivers state would not have a caretake committee for local government. See the tweet here:
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu resolves Political Impasse in Rivers State.
— Office of the SA on Social Media to PBAT???????? (@Dolusegun16) December 18, 2023
Resolutions are as follows pic.twitter.com/n87OQdMkVg