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Mark Jacob, a former PDP national legal adviser, has stated that while Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and Sim Fubara, the suspended governor of Rivers State, may have shown signs of reconciliation following their meeting with President Bola Tinubu, it is anti-democratic to suspend elected officials.
According to reports, late Thursday, Tinubu met at the Presidential Villa in Abuja with suspended members of the Rivers Assembly, Fubara, and Wike.
Three months after a contentious political crisis in the oil-producing state, Tinubu suspended Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the Rivers Assembly. This is when the meeting took place.

Following the meeting, the suspended legislators, together with Wike and Fubara, were all grinning broadly.

They have reached an agreement to “work together with the governor, and the governor has also agreed to work with all of us,” Wike told reporters after they had settled their disputes.
He went on to say, “We belong to the same political family. Yes, we all have disagreements like everyone else, but you also have time to work them out, and that was finally resolved today…” As agreed upon, we have come to report this to Mr. President.

But in an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday, the former PDP legal adviser said that the reconciliation does not negate the reality that there was an aberration in Rivers State.

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Furthermore, Jacob said he would not be shocked if Fubara joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), citing recent defections to the party.

“I will not be surprised if Siminalayi agrees if they offer him a carrot and tell him to come over to APC so that he can reclaim his seat,” he stated, adding that it is all about me. How can I benefit?

Even if they are grinning and shaking their hands, River State is still subject to illegality, which is an anomaly that shouldn’t have occurred in the first place.

For me, it’s still drama, and we’ll have to wait a few days to see what happens, but it’s awful that it happened at all.

It should never be possible for a democratically elected president to subvert democracy. It shouldn’t occur, especially in Nigeria.

On the Nigerian Senate floor, Senator Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa West) boldly criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for prioritizing political ambition over national development, pointing to the capital element of the 2024 budget’s implementation delays.

While the federal government has fully disbursed the recurring expenditures intended for salaries and administrative operations, Senator Dickson voiced worry during Tuesday’s plenary session that monies for major projects have not been released.

“Simply put, the government has grounded,” he said. “Government contractors who have completed work are still not being paid. People have yet to reap the rewards of the budget that we all labored so hard to pass.

The senator bemoaned the fact that the national budget’s development component, which has a direct impact on service delivery and infrastructure, has not been altered. According to him, many MPs were aware of the mounting annoyance, citing recent reports of rallies by irate contractors.

The Senate Committee on Appropriations Chairman, Senator Solomon Adeola (Ogun West), sponsored the resolution on which Dickson spoke during debates. By passing the motion, the 2024 capital budget’s execution date was extended to December 31, 2025.

Dickson attacked the lack of a convincing justification for the postponed budget rollout even though he supported the proposal. Before the general elections in 2027, he said, the administration might be getting sidetracked from its primary governing duties by an overemphasis on political maneuvers and defections.

“Perhaps there is an excessive amount of focus on politics and 2027,” he stated. Perhaps too much focus is being placed on apprehending defectors, and nobody is considering the wider situation.

Notwithstanding the fact that income has increased since gasoline subsidies were eliminated, he cautioned that both the legislative and executive branches are failing to fulfill their constitutional obligations.

The problem does not lie in the availability of funds. More money is going to state and local governments than in the past. What is causing the delay, then?

Dickson demanded that a joint investigation be conducted by the Senate Committees on Appropriation and Finance, and that the results be presented within a week.

We require clarification. These committees ought to conduct an investigation and submit their findings to the Senate in order to prevent a recurrence of this circumstance.

Concerns about the governance priorities of the Tinubu administration and the practical effects of postponed infrastructure expenditure on both citizens and contractors are clearly evident in the senator’s remarks.

June 26, 2025, Abuja The suspended Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, met with suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara in Abuja on Thursday in a major step toward ending the political situation in Rivers State.

The meeting, which took place behind closed doors in Nigeria’s capital, was friendly and the first time the two leaders had met since President Bola Tinubu suspended them, according to those familiar with the situation.

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Other State Assembly members were also there, and it was stated that both sides made small talk, joked, and pledged to participate in a positive way.

The suspended governor is adamant on achieving peace. According to a source with knowledge of the situation, “he has begun the real engagement.”

Reports state that the meeting concluded amicably, with each party pledging to engage in communication and de-escalation. According to insiders, the meeting was “fruitful,” suggesting that more talks between the parties involved would take place in the days ahead.

After weeks of instability and leadership conflicts, the federal government and political stakeholders are working to stabilize Rivers State’s governance system at the time of the meeting.

The event has been greeted by observers as a positive indication that cooperation and peace may soon be restored to the political climate of the state.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has sharply criticized Nasir El-Rufai, the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), calling him a someone who has a chronic predisposition to deceive and a lack of loyalty.

Obasanjo recollected his experiences working with El-Rufai, whom he nominated as Minister during his government, in his book, My Watch (Vol. 2). Although praising El-Rufai’s intelligence and ability to produce outcomes, Obasanjo claimed that the former minister lacked the moral qualities required of a public servant.

“Nasir has a nearly obsessive tendency to destroy people’s reputations. He shamelessly lied against me, his coworkers, and even his own relatives, Obasanjo wrote.

The former president recalled how El-Rufai constantly violated trust and misrepresented the truth in order to further his own agenda, even though he had the backing and authority of his administration.

Obasanjo denounced El-Rufai’s purported acts against his own family members, including a half-brother and a well-respected uncle, calling the behavior extremely concerning and indicative of a lack of moral guidance.

Despite his talent, he requires careful monitoring. “He has what I refer to as the’small man syndrome,’ which is a confluence of psychological and upbringing problems,” Obasanjo said.

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Despite the severe criticism, Obasanjo acknowledged that El-Rufai played a significant role in carrying out important initiatives while in office and that he could still serve the nation, but only under close supervision.

“He delivered what I knew he could.” But he is a liability in unsupervised situations because of his character flaws,” he continued.

Finally, Obasanjo voiced concern about the factors that might have influenced El-Rufai’s disposition, pointing out that his actions might have been influenced by his early lack of parental direction.