A chopper flew in the direction of Bayelsa State. It had an important dignitary on board. That person was the Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi.
The chopper, one of the legacies of the Odili administration, belonged to the Rivers State Government.
In Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, his Bayelsa State counterpart, Timipre Sylva was patiently waiting.
Soon, the helicopter entered Bayelsa’s airspace. The outline of the capital of the Ijaw dominated State loomed into view.
Below, roof tops, trees, waterways and roads raced past as the craft lost height and the pilot made his way towards Creek Haven…
That was many years ago.
Many years after, politics, power and rivalry fueled by ego and competing interests have managed to pull both men apart.
Monday, both men made their way separately to the APC National Secretariat along Blantyre Street. Reports say both men arrived the National Secretariat around 2pm.
Mai Mala Buni, Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party had invited the two power houses of the South South to a peace meeting.
Details of the understanding reached have not been released, but there are strong indications that Governor Buni of Yobe State may have succeeded in calling a truce.
Although Sylva did not speak to the press, Amaechi told reporters that the Petroleum Minister and himself have agreed to work together.
Political Observers say the reconciliation of both men is expected to have far reaching effects, particularly in the South South, a geopolitical region that is dominated almost hundred percent by the PDP.
The future of Edo State currently hangs in the balance. The fight between Adams Oshiomhole and Governor Obaseki has left the APC which hitherto controlled the State in a tight corner.
If Obaseki wins for the PDP in Edo, APC would have no foothold in the entire South South.
Power had narrowly slipped from the fingers of the APC in Bayelsa State earlier, but there is some hope that fresh elections may hold, given the ruling of the Election Petitions Tribunal which threw out Governor Douye Diri.
In Rivers, candidates on the platform of the APC were equally thrown out of the race in 2019 by the courts.
Somehow, leaders of the party in Rivers State are talking increasingly about a peaceful resolution of differences which may exist. .
The defection of Senator Godswill Akpabio to the APC in Akwa Ibom and his appointment as a minister was expected to change the narrative. That is yet to happen.
In Cross River where deep seated animosity within the APC family has been a major drawback, winning the governorship has rather been a mission impossible.
But Governor Buni on Monday moved to get Amaechi and Sylva, two major heavyweights from the zone, to sink their differences in the overall interest of the APC.
Not many members of the APC across the country are sure of what would happen in the Southwest in 2023.
Tinubu is reportedly nursing a presidential ambition. There are fears that he may pull out of the ruling party with his supporters if his alleged dream to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari suffers a severe setback.
Putting the South South and the South East together appears to be a viable option for the APC which is determined to hang unto power at the centre.
South Southerners are yet to react to Monday’s peace deal, but most are thrilled by the idea of the reconciliation brokered by Buni.
Elder statesman, Edwin Clark had earlier drummed up support for reconciliation in the geopolitical region, saying such a step could positively influence the geopolitics of the region.
From all indications, the APC appears to have taken a cue from Clark who also said Yorubas have no business contesting the presidency in 2023.
For Amaechi and Sylva, a new beginning lies out there. Will they embrace it and jointly rescue the South South from the claws of the PDP?
Only time will tell.