Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara has visited his counterpart in Bayelsa State, Governor Douye Diri eight months after his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, demolished a property belonging to Bayelsa which is located in Rivers.
Wike demolished the property located at Akasa Street in Old Government Residential Area in Port Harcourt in what analysts thought was settlement of political scores following Diri’s support for Atiku Abubakar during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary against Wike, a fellow South-South governor.
Wike and Fubara have since fell out and it appears that the Rivers governor is courting friends, one of whom is his fellow Ijaw brother who is the Governor of Bayelsa State.
During the visit, Fubara revealed his desire for mutual cooperation with Diri when he paid a New Year’s visit to the governor at his country home in Sampou in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State on Wednesday.
Governor Fubara went in the company of some top leaders of Rivers State.
He said his visit with some leaders of the state is to underscore the importance of the unification meeting that should open a new chapter between the two states.
In a statement signed by the Senior Special Adviser on Media to the Rivers Governor, Boniface Onyedi, Fubara said the coalition is to end any administrative boundary issues between both states.
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He said, “The purpose of my presence today is not a mere visit, but a reunification meeting. Our visit is to let our brother know that we want to work together for a common purpose and the development of both States.
“We have a lot of things in Rivers State that are jointly owned by both states. I know we have not had this kind of meeting before, but we desire that from this particular moment, whatever the issues are, let us look for a way to settle them amicably so that we can forge ahead.
“I have always said that we cannot attain development in the face of crisis. We cannot help one another in a situation of anarchy. Peace is the major ingredient for development.”
Fubara also commended the Bayelsa State Governor and the people of the state for showing solidarity with his administration amidst the political crisis bedevilling Rivers State.
He again acknowledged the role played by President Bola Tinubu in intervening in the Rivers political crisis.
On his part, Governor Diri thanked Fubara for the visit geared towards achieving mutually beneficial working arrangements with both states.
Diri recalled the ongoing legal issues at the Nigerian Supreme Court over the disputed Soku oil wells and the Bayelsa House that was demolished in Rivers State while pledging willingness to ensure that they work together as brothers.