By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday held a closed-door meeting with Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara at the State House in Abuja.
The engagement, which also had the Governor of Ebonyi State, Francis Nwifuru, in attendance earlier, took place at a time of heightened political tension in Rivers State and ongoing uncertainty over Fubara’s future within the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Fubara arrived at the Presidential Villa at about 5:01pm, where he was received by the Presidential Protocol Liaison Officer. The meeting ran until roughly 5:45pm, with no official briefing on the issues discussed or decisions taken.
Nwifuru had also met the President moments before, in another private session believed to have centred on regional matters, including infrastructure challenges and security concerns in the South-East.
Fubara’s visit comes on the heels of a dramatic realignment in the Rivers State House of Assembly, where 17 lawmakers loyal to Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike — led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule — defected from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The mass defection has significantly altered the balance of power in the legislature, leaving only three lawmakers aligned with Fubara.