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Tinubu May Reinstate Fubara, Rivers Lawmakers in July
President Bola Tinubu is reportedly preparing to reinstate Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and members of the state House of Assembly later this month. The move follows a reconciliation between Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who currently serves as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
President Bola Tinubu is reportedly preparing to reinstate the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, and the Rivers State House of Assembly later this month, following the successful brokering of a truce between Fubara and his predecessor, current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
Presidency sources said that Tinubu is considering Fubara’s return to office after a closed-door reconciliation meeting held Thursday night at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The meeting was attended by both Fubara and Wike, alongside the suspended Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and several lawmakers.
The Rivers State political crisis escalated on March 18, 2025, when President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the oil-rich state, suspending Governor Fubara, his deputy, and all members of the State House of Assembly for six months. In a national broadcast, Tinubu cited “disturbing security reports” detailing pipeline vandalism by militants, which he said the governor failed to address. He emphasized that he could not allow the “grave situation” to persist unchecked.
The roots of the crisis trace back to October 2023, when a power struggle erupted between Fubara and Wike—his political mentor turned rival—over control of Rivers State’s political structures. The dispute led to 27 pro-Wike lawmakers in the House of Assembly initiating impeachment proceedings against Fubara.
President Tinubu previously intervened in the conflict on October 31, 2023, through a peace meeting at the Presidential Villa. However, the agreement collapsed shortly afterward.
In early 2024, the Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt issued an order that allowed four pro-Fubara lawmakers to conduct legislative activities without interference from the pro-Wike faction—further deepening the political divide.
With recent developments suggesting progress in reconciliation efforts, there is growing anticipation that Governor Fubara may soon return to office as part of a broader political settlement aimed at restoring stability in Rivers State.
The Rivers State political crisis was marked by a series of violent incidents, including the bombing of a section of the State House of Assembly complex on the eve of the attempted impeachment of Governor Siminalayi Fubara. Additionally, a dynamite explosion occurred near Hotel Presidential along Aba Road in Port Harcourt during a protest in support of former governor and current FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike. During the disputed Local Government Area (LGA) elections in December 2023, two LGA offices and the All Progressives Congress (APC) secretariat were set ablaze.
In a significant legal development, the Supreme Court reinstated Martins Amaewhule as Speaker and restored the pro-Wike lawmakers as legitimate members of the House.
The court also nullified the LGA elections conducted by the Fubara-led administration in February 2024. Following this, the Assembly gave Fubara a 48-hour ultimatum to re-present the state budget. However, he was denied entry to the Assembly complex, frustrating his efforts to comply.
The political standoff intensified in March when the pro-Wike lawmakers served impeachment notices to Governor Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, citing alleged misconduct. President Tinubu responded on March 18 by declaring a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending the governor, his deputy, and all state lawmakers for an initial six-month period. He appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, former Chief of Naval Staff, as the state’s sole administrator—an action that sparked widespread debate over its legality.
Although Fubara was not expected to be reinstated until the emergency order expired in September, multiple sources within the Presidency have confirmed that Tinubu is prepared to restore the governor to office this month. According to insiders, the decision followed a private reconciliation meeting held Thursday night at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, involving Tinubu, Fubara, Wike, and several lawmakers.
“Fubara is happy with the peace brokered by the President,” a source familiar with the talks said. “Given the way things have progressed—Fubara and Wike were recently seen riding together and exchanging pleasantries—the deal for Fubara’s return is sealed.”
Responding to inquiries about the expected timing of the reinstatement, a Presidency insider stated, “At the latest, Fubara should resume as Rivers State Governor this month. Once the President returns from his visits to Saint Lucia and Brazil, he will make the formal announcement.”
President Tinubu departed Abuja on Saturday for a two-nation diplomatic visit. He will attend the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 6–7 after engagements in Saint Lucia.
A separate source confirmed that during the Thursday night meeting, Tinubu personally informed Fubara that he should “start preparing to return to office” as part of a final reconciliation arrangement with Wike.
While there have been speculations that the governor’s reinstatement may be conditional on his resignation shortly after, a Presidency source dismissed this. “That’s not true. No such condition was given. In every conflict resolution, there are terms, but asking Fubara to resign after being reinstated was never one of them,” the source said.
However, The Cable reports that the reconciliation deal does, in fact, come with significant limitations on Fubara’s authority. According to sources familiar with the agreement, the conditions include: no second term bid for Fubara, no control over local government administration and a general reduction in his political influence.
Another insider added, “The President made it clear that Rivers cannot afford a prolonged crisis. The deal is about restoring calm—but it comes at a steep cost for Fubara.”
One of the key conditions of the reconciliation agreement between Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, is that Fubara will serve out the remainder of his four-year tenure but will not seek re-election in 2027. In return, all impeachment proceedings initiated against him by the pro-Wike faction of the State House of Assembly will be withdrawn.
As part of the broader political compromise, Wike will reportedly be allowed to nominate the chairmen of all 23 local government areas in the state—a significant concession that effectively restores grassroots political control to the former governor.
In another major term of the agreement, Governor Fubara has agreed to pay all outstanding allowances and entitlements owed to the 27 pro-Wike lawmakers who were previously suspended. These legislators, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, had defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the height of the crisis but continued to occupy their seats in the Assembly—a move that sparked legal disputes and intensified political tensions.
Following a closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, both Wike and Fubara publicly declared the return of peace to Rivers State.
Wike said, “We have all agreed to work together with the governor, and the governor also agreed to work together with all of us. We are members of the same political family. Yes, just like humans, you have a disagreement, and then you also have time to settle your disagreement—and that has been finally concluded today.”
Governor Fubara echoed the sentiment, stating, “What we need for the progress of Rivers State is peace, and by the special grace of God, tonight, with the help of the President and the agreement with leaders of the state, peace has returned. We’ll do everything within our power to make sure we sustain it this time around.”
In line with the peace pact, Fubara has reportedly dissolved his core political support groups formed during the crisis, including the “Simplified Movement” and “Simplified Elders.” The move is believed to signal his full reintegration into the Wike-led political structure in the state.
Supporters of Fubara had previously identified with the “Simplified Movement,” while loyalists of the FCT Minister rallied under the “Wikematics” banner.
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party and former lawmaker, Chief Ogbonna Nwuke, confirmed the suspension of the support groups. Nwuke, who represented Omuma-Etche Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, said the groups were being disbanded to reflect the return to unity within the political family.
“Yes, he (Fubara) gave a directive that all groups be suspended for now,” Nwuke stated. “You know the reason is that we were one family before, and now that peace has returned, there has to be reintegration. That is what it means. We were all part of the New Rivers Vision.”
As the stand-off over the Strait of Hormuz continued, following its effective blockade by Iran, the US and the gulf state are trading threats of further destruction of energy and oil infrastructure across the Middle East with US President, Donald Trump, saying Tehran would face possible obliteration of its energy facilities if it failed to reopen the channel within 48 hours.
In a swift response, Iran threatened to irreversibly destroy US-linked energy sites across the Middle East if its power plants were targeted.
The 48 hours deadline expires today.
Trump’s ultimatum came hours after two Iranian missiles struck southern Israeli towns of Arad and Dimona, injuring more than 160 people in the most destructive attack since the war began.
This, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, vowed to retaliate “on all fronts”.
Iran had blocked the vital waterway, which carries a fifth of global crude oil trade in peacetime, as its key leverage in the war.
The standoff has sent crude oil prices soaring, with North Sea Brent crude now trading above $105 a barrel, as long-term consequences for the global economy become an acute concern.
The ultimatum, made just a day after the US president said he was considering winding down military operations after three weeks of war, came as the key oil passage remained effectively closed and thousands more US Marines headed to the Middle East.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Tehran had imposed restrictions only on vessels from countries involved in attacks against Iran, and would assist others that stayed out of the conflict.
Meanwhile, issuing the threat via his Truth Social, Trump said that the US would “hit and obliterate various Iran power plants starting with the biggest one first if Tehran did not fully reopen the strait within 48 hours.”
Reinforcing Trump’s threat, US Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, said the US may need to “escalate” its attacks against Iran to be able to wind down the war.
Asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” if Trump was winding down or escalating the war, Bessent said: “They’re not mutually exclusive. Sometimes you have to escalate to de-escalate.”
“This is the only language the Iranians understand,” he argued.
Iran threatens US-linked Gulf energy sites after
In response to Trump’s threat, Iran’s army said it would target energy and desalination infrastructure belonging to the US and the regime in the region, according to the Fars news agency.
In a post on X, speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf,
said that vital infrastructure, energy and oil facilities throughout the region will be considered “legitimate targets” and would be destroyed in an irreversible manner.
“Immediately after the power plants and infrastructure in our country are targeted, the critical infrastructure, energy infrastructure, and oil facilities throughout the region will be considered legitimate targets and will be destroyed in an irreversible manner, and the price of oil will remain high for a long time,” Ghalibaf said.
Similarly, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence unit in a post on X published by the IRGC affiliated Fars News Agency, said that it is thinking “beyond just the region”.
The post explained that this referred to a “red target bank” of technological and political targets in response to threats against power plants, suggesting that action could be taken “in less than 48 hours”.
The post also lists several achievements the IRGC claimed to have made during the war, including what it described as the “consolidation of power in the Strait,” and “control of global energy.”
To completely shut down the strait
Besides the threats of targeting energy infrastructure across the region, Iran’s military also threatened to completely shut down the strategic Strait of Hormuz if Trump acts on threats to target the country’s power plants.
“If the United States’ threats regarding Iran’s power plants are carried out… the Strait of Hormuz will be completely closed, and it will not be reopened until our destroyed power plants are rebuilt,” the military’s operational command, Khatam Al-Anbiya, said in a statement carried by state TV.
The military said it would also strike Israel’s “power plants, energy, and information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure”, along with power plants in regional countries hosting US bases and companies with US shareholders.
It added that the measures will be taken “to defend our country and the interests of our nation”.
Iran charges $2m from ships passing through Strait of Hormuz – Iranian MP
BBC quoted Iranian Member of Parliament, Alaeddin Boroujrrdi, as saying on state TV that some of the ships that pass through the Strait of Hormuz were being charged “ a $2 (£1.5) million fee” by Iran.
He said that a “new governing regime” was being imposed in the Strait claiming that “war has costs”. According to him, the closure of the Strait shows the “authority and right that the Islamic Republic of Iran possesses”.
Iran’s deadly strikes on southern Israel injures 160
Meanwhile, retaliating against Israel’s strike on its Natanz nuclear facility, Iran struck southern Israel towns of Arad and Dimona, injuring more than 160 people in the most destructive attack since the war began. The Israel prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, vowed to retaliate “on all fronts”
The strikes, which slipped through Israel’s missile defence systems, tore open the facades of residential buildings and carved craters into the ground.
First responders said 84 people were injured in the town of Arad, 10 of them seriously. Hours earlier, 33 were wounded in nearby Dimona, where AFPTV footage showed a large hole gouged into the ground next to piles of rubble and twisted metal.
Dimona hosts a facility widely believed to be the site of the Middle East’s only nuclear arsenal, although Israel has never admitted to possessing nuclear weapons.
The Israeli army told Agence France-Presse there had been a direct missile hit on a building in Dimona, with casualties reported at multiple sites, including a 10-year-old boy in serious condition with shrapnel wounds.
Iran said the targeting of Dimona was retaliation for Israeli strikes on its Natanz nuclear facility, with the IRGC saying forces also targeted other southern Israeli towns as well as military sites in Kuwait and the UAE.
The Natanz facility hosts underground centrifuges used to enrich uranium for Iran’s disputed nuclear programme; it sustained damage in the June 2025 war.
The Israeli military denied it was behind the Natanz strike, but said it had struck a facility at a Tehran university that it claimed was being used to develop nuclear weapon components for Iran’s ballistic missile programme.
Attacks on nuclear sites create escalating threat to public health, WHO chief warns
The Iran war has reached a “perilous stage” as both sides target nuclear facilities, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has warned.
Ghebreyesus said the International Atomic Energy Agency was looking into both attacks.
“No indications of abnormal or increased off-site radiation levels have been reported,” he said in a post on X.
But he added: “Attacks targeting nuclear sites create an escalating threat to public health and environmental safety.
“Since the outbreak of hostilities, WHO has provided critical training to its own staff and UN personnel across 13 countries to help them respond effectively to public health threats in the event of a nuclear incident.
“I urgently call on all parties to exercise maximum military restraint and avoid any actions that could trigger nuclear incidents.
“Peace is the best medicine.”
There is palpable tension in Egbeda/Ona-Ara Federal Constituency of Oyo State, as a group of youths staged a protest opposing what they described as an alleged move by Alabi to pursue a third term in the House of Representatives.
Alabi, an entrepreneur and author, is currently serving his second term in the 10th National Assembly, representing Egbeda/Ona-Ara. A ranking member of the House, he chairs the Committee on Works. He is also the founder of NairaBET and owner of Lekki United F.C.
According to a statement made available to the columng by a journalist Tosin Faleye, protesting youths opposed to his continued representation argued during a street procession, that after completing two terms — amounting to eight years — leadership should rotate to allow fresh representation and new ideas.
Placards displayed during the protest carried messages demanding accountability, transparency, and measurable development outcomes. Some demonstrators alleged that infrastructure projects and empowerment initiatives in parts of the constituency have not met expectations.
Several residents who spoke during the protest expressed concerns about what they described as limited grassroots engagement and insufficient visibility of constituency projects.
Allegations and Counterclaims
The development comes amid broader national conversations surrounding lawmakers’ constituency project allocations, particularly following the removal of petrol subsidy.
At a media and civil society roundtable organised by the International Press Centre (IPC) in Abuja, House spokesperson Akin Rotimi dismissed claims of increased constituency allocations as false, attributing the reports to political actors dissatisfied with previous electoral outcomes.
Separately, comments by Ayodele Asalu had alleged significant increases in funding for lawmakers’ projects. However, official representatives of the House have refuted those claims.
Governance Debate Intensifies
Critics within Egbeda/Ona-Ara maintain that performance should be assessed based on tangible impact, accessibility, and sustained community engagement. They argue that representation must translate into visible development and consistent communication with constituents.
Supporters of Alabi, however, point to his legislative experience and committee leadership as some of the bragging rights that qualifies him for another term of representation.
The Ogun state government has directed gas stations , eateries and restaurants located within the state, to henceforth make their restrooms available to the general public for use without hindrance.
Speaking on the moves of government to address the worrisome issue of open defecation in the state, the Ogun State’s Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Ola Oresanya, said to nip the trend it in the bud, government has provided about 10 public toilets on the Ogun state end of the Lagos Ibadan Express road, specifically from Kahra, through Ibafo to Redeemed Church’s third gate.
Explaining that the public toilets are the labelled visible yellow buildings on the corridor, the Commissioner who made the disclosure while speaking on a program on Miliki FM, said, the 10 public toilets on the Ibafo corridor, are part of the newly built 100 public toilets out of 200 planned for the state.
He said the Karra through Ibafo to Sagamu interchange will eventually have 40 with 20 on each side of the road.
As part of efforts to curb open defecation in the state, the Commissioner said meetings have been held with owners of gas stations in the state to always make their toilet available for public use.The directive, he said also affects restaurant operators.In the bid to enforce the directive, which he said is backed by law, the Commissioner disclosed that three recalcitrant gas stations have already been shut for non compliance
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