President Bola Tinubu on Monday hosted state governors, ministers, and heads of paramilitary agencies to an Iftar dinner at the State House, Abuja.

This is President Tinubu’s first such event in the Ramadan season.

Notable attendees included Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

The presence of Fubara and Wike comes amid continuing political tensions in Rivers State, as the Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of the faction led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, an ally of the FCT Minister.

The ruling reinstated 27 pro-Wike lawmakers who had previously defected from the state assembly, challenging Fubara’s authority.

In response, the governor has invited the legislators for a meeting to discuss the court’s decision.

The dinner was attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila, and several cabinet members.

Governors present at the event included Alex Otti (Abia), Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Hyacinth Alia (Benue), Babagana Zulum (Borno), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Monday Okpebholo (Edo), Muhammad Yahaya (Gombe), Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Uba Sani (Kaduna), Abba Kabir Yusuf (Kano), Nasir Idris (Kebbi), AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), Mohammed Bago (Niger), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), Duoye Diri (Bayelsa), and Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi).

Also in attendance were key agency heads, including the Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, Professor Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad; Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Haliru Nababa; Comptroller-General of the Federal Fire Service, Jaji Abdulganiyu; and Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adeniyi.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed, and the CEO of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, were also part of the gathering.

THE GUARDIAN