PORT HARCOURT: Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has officially defected from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The governor announced his decision on Tuesday during a stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House in Port Harcourt.
With the move, Fubara joins a growing list of governors who have exited the PDP, including Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, Akwa Ibom Governor Umo Eno, Enugu Governor Peter Mbah, and Bayelsa Governor Duoye Siri.
Explaining his decision, Fubara said meaningful support for President Bola Tinubu could only come from full political alignment, not half-hearted backing.
We can’t support the President if we don’t fully identify with him. So, we have taken this decision today that everyone who has followed and stood with me is moving to the APC, he stated.
The defection came a day after the governor’s visit to President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Although details of the meeting were not disclosed, Fubara reportedly spent about 45 minutes discussing with the President.
Recall that on March 18, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and members of the State House of Assembly for six months following intense political tensions in the state.
Retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas was appointed as administrator during the period.
After resuming office, Fubara described the emergency rule as difficult but necessary to restore stability and protect democratic institutions.
He noted that he chose cooperation over confrontation, declining pressure to challenge the constitutionality of the emergency declaration.
The governor revealed that President Tinubu later brokered peace between him, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, and the Rivers State House of Assembly, leading to reconciliation in the interest of peace and development in the state.
Fubara stressed that the decision to bury political differences was guided by the welfare of Rivers people and the need to move the state forward
