Fubara sacks Rivers cabinet amid fresh moves to end political rift
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has dissolved the State Executive Council, directing all commissioners and special advisers to step aside with immediate effect.
The decision was announced on Thursday in a statement issued by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Onwuka Nzeshi. Affected officials have been instructed to hand over to the permanent secretaries or the most senior officers in their respective ministries.
Fubara thanked the outgoing cabinet members for their contributions to the administration and wished them success in their future pursuits.
READ ALSO: Rivers Chief Judge rejects state assembly’s request to probe Gov. Fubara
The development comes barely 48 hours after the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, confirmed renewed reconciliation efforts to resolve the lingering political crisis rocking the oil-rich state.
Wike had revealed that President Bola Tinubu convened a closed-door meeting at the Presidential Villa with key stakeholders from Rivers, including Governor Fubara and other political leaders, in a bid to calm tensions stemming from the protracted power struggle.
The latest intervention followed an impeachment process launched against the governor by lawmakers believed to be loyal to the former governor. The notice, the third in the series of disputes between the executive and the legislature, is currently the subject of litigation.
READ ALSO: Fubara, impeachment, and the long-standing challenges of governing Rivers State, by Gift Luckson
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, Wike said the February 9 meeting was initiated by the President to broker peace between the governor and the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“This is the second time the President is intervening, and by the grace of God, it will be the last,” Wike said, adding that he had urged the assembly to heed the President’s call while expressing confidence that the governor would also play his part.
READ ALSO: Court bars Rivers Chief Judge from acting on impeachment notice against Gov. Fubara
Observers noted that after the Villa meeting, Fubara accompanied Wike to his residence in Guzape, a gesture many interpreted as a sign that hostilities might be easing.
Despite the high-level talks, it remains uncertain whether the lawmakers will withdraw the impeachment notice or if the dialogue will produce a lasting resolution.
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