Rivers PDP Plays Down Rumours of Fubara’s Defection to APC

Port Harcourt – The Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dismissed concerns over the alleged plan by Governor Siminalayi Fubara to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting that such a decision remains a personal matter for the governor.

State PDP chairman, Dr. Robinson Ewor, in a telephone conversation on Wednesday, said he was unaware of any plan by Fubara to leave the party. He stressed that the governor reserves the right to pursue any political interest he deems fit, provided it serves the overall good of the Rivers people who elected him.

“Whatever decision the governor takes is personal. He has not informed me of any intention to leave the party,” Ewor said.

Speculation about Fubara’s defection heightened following reports that part of the peace agreement he allegedly signed in June, during the six-month emergency rule in Rivers State, was a commitment to join the APC. The move was widely interpreted as a strategy to secure Rivers State for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.

The rumours gained further traction on Monday when Fubara was sighted in the company of APC Governors’ Forum chairman and Imo State governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, as they ushered him into President Tinubu’s office.

Observers also noted that in his September 18 statewide broadcast, which marked his return after the emergency rule, Fubara failed to acknowledge the PDP’s role in opposing the declaration. No fewer than 11 PDP governors had gone to court to challenge the emergency rule, while other prominent Nigerians condemned the move as unconstitutional.

On the ongoing controversy surrounding the state House of Assembly’s planned probe of former sole administrator Vice Admiral Ibok-Etteh Ibas (retd), Ewor said the Assembly was within its rights to investigate.

“The sole administrator cannot account to the Rivers people because they did not elect him. But he can account to the House of Assembly. If they want to probe him, it is their right, and I cannot tell them what to do,” he stated.

Ewor also reacted to the peace process brokered between Governor Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. He said it would be in the best interest of the state if the details of the agreement were made public.

He called on all parties involved to ensure that the peace efforts endure, noting that sustained harmony was necessary for the overall development of Rivers State.