Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has dissolved the State Executive Council, four days after a closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu and key political actors from the state, including the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
The governor also appointed a new Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Onwuka Nzeshi, weeks after he secretly laid off the former CPS, Nelson Chukwudi.
The dissolution was announced in a government special announcement issued Thursday night by the new Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Onwuka Nzeshi.
“Siminalayi Fubara, Governor of Rivers State, has dissolved the State Executive Council,” the statement read.
The governor directed all commissioners and special advisers to hand over to the permanent secretaries or the most senior officers in their respective ministries with immediate effect.
Fubara thanked the outgoing members of the Executive Council and wished them well in their future endeavours.
The development comes shortly after a high-level meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Sunday night. The meeting, convened by President Tinubu, brought together Fubara, Wike and other political stakeholders from Rivers, which is believed to be geared towards resolving the lingering political crisis in the oil-rich state.
The face-off between Fubara and his predecessor, Wike, has dominated the state’s political landscape for months, polarising the House of Assembly and splitting loyalists across party lines.
The crisis escalated in 2023 when a faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly, loyal to Wike, initiated impeachment proceedings against the governor. The situation led to tensions within the legislature, the demolition of the Assembly complex, and multiple court cases over the legitimacy of lawmakers. The impeachment scare returned last month.
President Tinubu has intervened four times to broker peace between the feuding camps.
While details of the latest meeting on Sunday were not made public, the dissolution of the cabinet has sparked speculation about possible political realignments and concessions aimed at stabilising governance in the state.
As of the time of filing this report, the Rivers Government has not provided clarification on whether a new cabinet will be constituted immediately or if the move forms part of a broader political settlement.
