President Bola Tinubu on Monday met separately with Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, at the presidential Villa, Abuja.
The meetings held behind closed-doors, came amid mounting political tension in Rivers State and renewed speculation over Governor Fubara’s future in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Fubara was sighted entering the State House at about 5:01 p.m. and was received by the Presidential Protocol Liaison Officer before proceeding to the President’s office.
He departed around 5:45 p.m, but details of the discussions were not disclosed as at press time.
The meeting with Fubara comes on the heels of Friday’s defection of 17 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, loyal to the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, and led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The shift in party alignment has altered the balance of power in the state legislature and heightened uncertainty around Fubara’s political standing.
Only three lawmakers viewed as loyal to the governor remain in the PDP, and they have not resumed sitting since emergency rule in the state was lifted on September 18.
Minutes earlier, Governor Nwifuru had also been ushered in for a separate meeting with the President.
The purpose of his visit at the time of filing this report was also not made public.
Governor Nwifuru, a former Speaker of the Ebonyi House of Assembly and now an APC governor, has in recent months held several engagements with the Presidency, focusing largely on infrastructure development and security coordination in the South-East.
