The Presidency has said that President Bola Tinubu was prepared to take “very hard action” if the political dispute in Rivers State had not been settled.

Presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale said the President’s intervention was driven by national responsibility, not political gain.

“The motive of the President in this case is clearly not a political one,” he said on TV. “He’s the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. It’s his primary responsibility to ensure that there’s peace, stability and security in all parts of the country.

“If he sees that peace is breaking down in any part of the country, this is a President that will take action. But nobody should be mistaken, His Excellency, Mr President, was fully ready and equipped to take a very hard action if this resolution was not reached.

“So it is of great relief to the Rivers people and Nigerians at large that a resolution has been reached.”

Recall that Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike, on Monday, reached an agreement on Monday evening after an intervention by President Tinubu and other stakeholders.