Another Governor Dumps PDP, Joins APC

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By Johnson Folarin

Rivers State witnessed another major political shift on Tuesday evening after Governor Siminalayi Fubara formally announced his exit from the Peoples Democratic Party and his decision to join the All Progressives Congress. The declaration came during a stakeholders’ meeting held inside Government House, Port Harcourt.

During the gathering, the governor told party leaders and supporters that he had “good news” for the state, explaining that he met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday to brief him on the situation in Rivers. He praised the president for standing by the state at a time he described as politically challenging.

Speaking with visible excitement, Fubara said Rivers State must “move from where we are to where it is better,” insisting that the state has the numbers and political weight to take a bold step into the ruling party. His supporters responded with applause.

The governor’s decision comes barely three days after 17 members of the Rivers House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, also dumped the PDP for the APC. Their move deepened speculations that the governor could soon follow the same path.

It will be recalled that during the peace negotiations initiated by President Tinubu between Governor Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, one of the reported conditions was a possible defection to the APC. Political observers say the governor’s move did not come as a surprise, especially after he avoided publicly acknowledging PDP governors who went to court during the height of the state’s political turmoil between March 18 and September 18.

With Fubara’s defection, all six states in the South-South geopolitical zone are now under the APC, triggering fresh debate among analysts who fear Nigeria might be gradually drifting towards a one-party structure.

Meanwhile, the Rivers State PDP Chairman, Hon Robinson Ewor, has distanced himself from the governor’s decision. Speaking to newsmen on Wednesday, he said he had no plans to leave the PDP 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, hinting at a looming restructuring within the state chapter of the party.

The defection has opened a new chapter in Rivers politics as the state braces for more alignments and counter-alignments in the days ahead.