They were political allies. So close were they that when one wanted to be governor he chose the other as the director general of his campaign organisation. So close were they that when the ambition of one developed ‘k-leg’ and he relied on the courts to straighten it he stood by him. So close were they that when he eventually became governor he chose him as his chief of staff, a position he held well into his second term.

But there was a wedge after the chief of staff got promoted to minister of state for Education. It became worse after the erstwhile director general decided to be governor. Both are Ikwerre. Hell was let loose and things have not remained the same.

This is the story of Governor Nyesom Wike and Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, who met in Abuja on Tuesday at the instance of the Director-General of the Department of State Sevices (DSS), Mamman Daura. That appeared to be the first time both men would come into such close contact. The last time they were together in the same space was at the last rerun when they ‘clashed’ at a police formation. They appeared to always avoid meeting each other. Wike has largely avoided the Presidential Villa where Amaechi is now a force to reckon with.

The meeting was called on how the rerun would be held peacefully. So fierce was the rerun battle that the governor made “inciting” speeches, such as “Write your Will if you’re coming to Rivers” and others.

The images from the Abuja meeting showed both men shaking hands and standing side by side. They did these with straight faces. The man, once hailed as ‘Wicked Wike’ by a colleague in his days as a member of the Dr. Goodluck Jonathan administration and his one-time boss and kinsman, appeared to be tolerating each other.

The pictures raise posers: has Amaechi forgiven Wike for asking his supporters to beat him up in the run-up to the first rerun election? Can Wike work with his kinsman, who said shortly after the last governorship election that he would look for money to pay salaries and not see?

Will the meeting bring the lasting peace Rivers so much needs? Will the rerun hold without any blood being spilled? The police’s statement after the meeting suggests so. But, it is too early to say.