Wike: Reconciliation feels heavy but we must accept it – Fubara

Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has appealed to his loyalists and members of the ‘Simplified Family’ to accept the peace accord recently reached with his predecessor, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

Speaking on Saturday in Port Harcourt during a meeting with his support base, Fubara admitted that while the reconciliation deal is “heavy” and “bitter,” it is a necessary sacrifice for the sake of stability and development in the state.

“After the meeting we had before May 29th, we’ve had a series of meetings and one of the meetings we had was the one we met with the President, and President Tinubu clearly said, ‘I want you and your oga to settle,’” Fubara recounted.

Acknowledging Wike’s role in his political journey, the governor urged his followers to look beyond past grievances and embrace the path of peace.

He said, “Nobody can take away the role my oga played; that’s the truth, yes, we might have our differences, but nobody here will say he doesn’t know the role the man played.

“Nobody can wish away the risk he took; yes, at a point we had our differences, and if today a need for us to settle, please, anyone who genuinely believes in me should understand that it’s the right  thing to do.”

He added that authentic peace must come from genuine commitment by both parties.

“So, my dear fathers, brothers and sisters, no matter the level of peace that a mediator will arrange, the true peace is the one both of you are sitting down together to say, ‘Yes, this is what we want,’” he said.

Fubara revealed that he and Wike had already met and discussed their grievances privately.

“At this point, I’ve met him, and we have spoken; you can’t take away his not being hurt; he’s a human being. I also have my own share of pains too, and if he feels that for the pains he has gone through, these are things he wants, in as much it is not my life, I will give it to him and let us have that peace because even while all these things are going, I still, in my quiet time, appreciate and recognise the role he played, and every one of us here knows it,” he said.

While promising not to abandon his supporters, Fubara asked for understanding and patience as the state moves toward full reconciliation.

“Like I said, it’s heavy; it’s bitter, but we must accept the situation and move on with it. I can’t abandon you people; that’s one thing I need to say here.

“This is the time for me to prove to you that I care for you, and I make my commitment here that whichever way it goes, I will not abandon anybody,” he said.

The governor emphasised that without genuine peace between him and Wike, Rivers State cannot progress, nor can the federal government intervene meaningfully.

“The sacrifice that we are going to make for us to achieve this total peace is going to be heavy, and I want everybody to prepare for it. Without a total reconciliation, which, by the grace of God, the both of us have gotten to, there’s no way we can make progress in this state; there’s no way the President can come in to save the situation.

So, I want to appeal to everyone, I have accepted that we must accept this peace no matter how it looks, no matter how you feel, we must accept it,” he said.

Fubara further said his decision was motivated not by personal interest but by concern for the state’s overall well-being, referencing numerous abandoned development projects caused by the political feud.

“We have fought; I think in my own assessment and in the assessment of anyone here who is genuine in this struggle, you will know that we have done what we need to do. At this point, if you want to be truthful to yourself, the only solution is peace. I did say that there’s no price that is too big for peace; I meant it, and I’m still ready to follow it to the end,” he said.

“Some of you might be frowning, but if we believe that we are in one family and our interest is to support the president, then what is the issue?

“You all will definitely be integrated into the big family. If you say you are with us and you believe in me, this is the time for us to see it. The time when there’s nothing and you stand.

“It is not even me as a person; it’s about the overall interest of the state. In the midst of this crisis with me and my oga, look at the projects we’ve initiated; many have been abandoned.

“We know the progress we would have recorded and areas that would have been developed, so there’s a need for this peace; that’s the truth.”

To underscore the wisdom in embracing patience and humility, Fubara referenced a local proverb involving the tilapia fish.

“In my place, there’s a fish they call ‘Atabala’; you call it ’tilapia’. The native tilapia doesn’t grow big. The mother tilapia used to tell the kids that if they want to grow up to my own size, hide your head inside the mud.

“Every one of us should understand that at this time we’ve done our best and what we need now is this peace so that we can grow. I know it’s difficult and heavy but that’s the true situation,” he said.