By Ibrahim Muhammad
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has formally announced his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The governor confirmed his move on Tuesday during a stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House, Port Harcourt, ending weeks of mounting speculation over his political future. His defection adds to the growing list of PDP leaders who have crossed over to the APC this year.
Rumours of Fubara’s imminent exit from the PDP gained momentum within the last 24 hours, following fresh political tensions in the state. The crisis deepened recently when 17 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly—loyal to former Governor Nyesom Wike and led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule—dumped the PDP for the APC, altering the legislature’s power dynamics.
From Abuja to Port Harcourt, top APC figures had openly courted the Rivers governor, urging him to join the ruling party and help consolidate its influence ahead of the 2027 general elections.
But the PDP has pushed back strongly, describing Fubara’s exit as a grave political miscalculation. Party leaders warned that the move amounts to betrayal and could spell the end of his political career.
Timothy Osadolor, a member of the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC), criticised the APC for “wanting to reap where they did not sow,” cautioning Fubara against abandoning the platform that brought him to power. He also called for constitutional reforms to prevent any president from suspending a state governor without the approval of the National Assembly.
Meanwhile, the PDP has intensified its warnings over what it calls an alleged plan by President Bola Tinubu and the APC to turn Nigeria into a one-party state. The party urged Nigerians, civil society organisations, democratic institutions, and international partners to resist actions that undermine justice, the rule of law, credible elections, and citizens’ democratic rights.
