President Bola Tinubu rebuked Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara during a peace meeting with his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, on Monday, sources familiar with the closed-door session revealed.

The meeting, convened at the Presidential Villa, aimed to quell the escalating tensions in the state following the controversial demolition of the state House of Assembly complex.

Sources described the president as “very angry” with Fubara over the demolition, which he characterised as a “desecration of democracy” and a “destruction of history.” He used the opportunity to emphasise his lifelong commitment to democracy and expressed disbelief that a governor would demolish such a critical symbol of the institution.

Drawing a parallel to his own experience, Tinubu recounted his disagreement with former Lagos Governor Akinwunmi Ambode but stressed that he never resorted to such drastic measures. Instead, he waited for the “renewal of mandate” through elections, implying that Wike should follow a similar path.

One source indicated that while Wike, with his majority control of the legislature, could easily remove Fubara, the president seemed to advocate for giving Fubara another chance.

The meeting led to a peace deal with key concessions, including the reappointment of Wike’s loyalists to Fubara’s cabinet, reinstatement of the 25 lawmakers who defected to the APC, and re-presenting the 2024 budget to the full Assembly.