The All Progressives Congress (APC) has explained why Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has yet to be formally welcomed into the party following his recent defection.
Speaking on TVC on Sunday, APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, said the delay was a deliberate strategic decision aimed at managing regional sensitivities, particularly in northern states ahead of Ramadan.
According to Yilwatda, the party’s schedule for formal receptions prioritises northern stakeholders due to cultural and religious considerations.
“We have Kano that we are preparing for. In politics, we decided to clear the North first because Ramadan is coming and most people in the North are Muslims,” he said.
“There are communities in the North that are sensitive to the issue of Ramadan, so we pleaded that we clear the northern governors who are joining the APC before going to the South, where Ramadan is not an issue.”
He stressed that the delay had nothing to do with Fubara’s authority or standing within the party.
“These are strategic decisions that acknowledge the sensitivities of each community. It has nothing to do with Siminalayi Fubara not having authority,” Yilwatda added.
Responding to claims that Fubara was struggling to assert himself as the APC leader in Rivers State, the national chairman dismissed the suggestion and challenged critics to provide evidence of any formal complaint.
“Who complained? I am the national chairman. Where is the petition? I want to see one petition,” he said.
“When nobody has complained and there is no physical petition, the media should not create one and become the petitioners, the judge, and the jailer at the same time.”
On comments by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, about political actors in Rivers State aligning under President Bola Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda, Yilwatda said such support groups were distinct from the APC’s official party structures.
“Support groups are separate from party activities. Are they under the office of the chairman of the party?” he asked.
The questions surrounding Fubara’s leadership are rooted in a prolonged political crisis in Rivers State.
Fubara’s relationship with his predecessor, Wike, deteriorated after a power struggle following the 2023 elections, a crisis that culminated in President Bola Tinubu declaring a six-month state of emergency in the state.
Fubara formally defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC on December 9, 2025, a move widely viewed as part of his strategy for a second-term bid in 2027 and an effort to consolidate political support after his fallout with Wike.
However, Wike—who remains a dominant political force in Rivers State despite not being an APC member—has disputed claims that Fubara’s defection automatically makes him the party’s leader in the state. He has argued that control of grassroots structures and party organs, which his allies still dominate in parts of the state, determines leadership.
The standoff has deepened political tensions in Rivers, with rival factions across the APC and PDP engaging in impeachment threats, negotiations, and stabilisation efforts as the state heads toward the 2027 general elections.
