Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), marking a major political shift in the oil-rich South-South state.
Fubara announced his defection on Tuesday during a stakeholders’ meeting held at the Government House in Port Harcourt.
He joins a growing list of governors who have crossed from the PDP to the APC, including Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, Akwa Ibom Governor Umo Eno, Enugu Governor Peter Mbah, and Bayelsa Governor Duoye Diri.
Explaining his decision, Fubara said genuine support for President Bola Tinubu required full political alignment.
“We can’t support Mr President from the sidelines. If we truly believe in his leadership, then we must fully identify with him,” he said. “So today, together with everyone who has stood with me through thick and thin, we have decided to move to the APC.”
The defection came barely 24 hours after the governor paid a closed-door visit to President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday evening. Although details of the meeting were not disclosed, Fubara reportedly arrived at about 5:01 p.m. and left around 5:45 p.m.
The development follows months after President Tinubu, on March 18, declared a state of emergency in Rivers State over prolonged political tension between the governor and the State House of Assembly. Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all elected lawmakers were suspended for six months, while retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas was appointed as administrator to oversee the state.
Upon the expiration of the emergency rule, Fubara was reinstated and pledged to prioritize peace, reconciliation, and stability. In a statewide broadcast at the time, he described the period as difficult but necessary to safeguard democratic institutions.
He also revealed that he deliberately avoided challenging the constitutionality of his suspension in the interest of peace. According to him, reconciliation was later achieved following a peace process brokered by President Tinubu, involving the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Fubara stressed that the decision to bury the hatchet was taken solely in the interest of the people and the long-term development of Rivers State.
