Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Tuesday formally ended months of intense speculation by announcing his defection from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All-Progressives Congress (APC). The long-anticipated move marks a significant political realignment in one of Nigeria’s most strategic states and further tilts the South-South region toward the ruling party.
The governor declared his decision during a stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House in Port Harcourt late Tuesday evening. The hall, which was filled with traditional leaders, political allies, senior advisers and local government chairmen, erupted in applause as Fubara confirmed what many had suspected for weeks.
His defection came barely three days after 17 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by the Speaker, Martins Amaewhule, also dumped the PDP for the APC. The lawmakers, all of whom were elected on the PDP platform, cited deepening divisions within the party and “the need to align with the political direction” of the state’s leadership.
Speaking to the crowd, Fubara said he brought “good news” to the people of Rivers, revealing that he had met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday in Abuja to brief him on the state’s political developments. He repeatedly praised the President for what he described as steadfast support, particularly during the months-long leadership crisis that pitted him against the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former governor of the state, Nyesom Wike.
According to Fubara, President Tinubu “stood by the people of Rivers State when the political atmosphere was almost choking,” adding that the support from the presidency influenced his decision to cross over to the APC.
“We have reached a point where we must make decisions that secure our future. It is better for us to move from where we are to where it is better for Rivers State,” the governor said, smiling as supporters erupted in chants. He added that Rivers State possessed the population, political sophistication and electoral strength to play a decisive role in shaping national politics under the APC umbrella.
Political watchers were quick to connect Tuesday’s announcement to earlier reports that one of the conditions proposed during the peace deal brokered by President Tinubu—aimed at ending the bitter feud between Fubara and Wike—included the governor’s eventual alignment with the APC. Though the details of that negotiation were never made public, the defection now appears to validate longstanding rumours.
Fubara’s silence on the role of PDP governors during the federal government’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State earlier in the year had already fuelled speculation of a looming break. Between March 18 and September 18, the PDP leadership stood firmly behind him as he and his deputy faced suspension alongside the 32-member House of Assembly. Yet, in recent weeks, the governor had avoided publicly acknowledging the party’s support.
With Fubara’s exit, the APC now controls all six states of the South-South geopolitical zone—a development that has triggered renewed public debate about whether Nigeria is inching toward an era dominated by a single ruling party.
Meanwhile, in a report by Vanguard newspaper, the Rivers State PDP Chairman, Hon. Robinson Ewor, distanced himself from the governor’s decision, saying he had no intention of defecting along with Fubara.
“He has the right to choose where he wants to belong. But if he leaves the PDP today, I will not follow him anywhere,” Ewor said, signalling what could be the beginning of a major restructuring within the party’s state hierarchy.
Fubara’s move sets the stage for a new political landscape in Rivers State, with the coming weeks expected to reveal how the realignment will shape governance, party structures and the next electoral cycle.
