Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), announcing the move at a stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.
Fubara said his decision was motivated by loyalty to President Bola Tinubu, crediting the president for his political survival.
“The truth is, without Mr President, there wouldn’t be any His Excellency Siminalayi Fubara; it would have been the former governor. Our only way to thank him is to fully support him by joining the APC,” Fubara said.
Wave of defections
Fubara’s defection comes just four days after Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and 17 other lawmakers left the PDP for the APC on December 5, citing crises within the party. Among those who defected were Deputy Speaker Dumle Maol, Major Jack, Linda Stewart, Franklin Nwabochi, and other key members of the Assembly.
Reports suggested that the departure of these lawmakers increased pressure on Fubara to move to the ruling party.
The oil-rich South-South region has long been a PDP stronghold since 1999. However, the party’s defeat in the 2015 presidential election triggered a gradual realignment, with several governors shifting allegiance to the APC.
Prior to Fubara’s defection, he was the only PDP governor remaining in the South-South after the defections of Delta’s Sheriff Oborevwori and Akwa Ibom’s Umo Eno earlier this year. Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri also left the PDP in November.
Waning influence of the PDP in Rivers
Fubara’s move marks the first time Rivers State will have an APC governor. The PDP’s dominance in the state has been challenged in recent years, particularly following former Governor Nyesom Wike’s endorsement of Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election, a move some PDP leaders considered anti-party. Tinubu later appointed Wike as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
Tensions between Wike and Fubara had previously led to a protracted political standoff in Rivers, including partial demolition of the State Assembly complex and attempts by lawmakers loyal to Wike to impeach Fubara. President Tinubu intervened in March by declaring a state of emergency, suspending the governor, deputy, and lawmakers, and appointing Vice Admiral Ibok Ete (retd.) as administrator. The emergency rule ended in September with the reinstatement of Fubara and his deputy.
Fubara’s defection also highlights broader turmoil within the PDP, which has been divided since the 2023 presidential election. The party remains split into rival factions at the national level, with ongoing expulsions and counter-expulsions of key members.
