Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has formally defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), a dramatic political shift that redraws the power map of the oil-rich state and the wider South-South region.
The governor announced his decision at a stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House in Port Harcourt, bringing to an end the PDP’s unbroken control of Rivers politics since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999.
Fubara’s move follows closely on the heels of a mass defection from the Rivers State House of Assembly, where Speaker Martin Amaewhule and 17 lawmakers quit the PDP for the APC on December 5. The lawmakers blamed their decision on deepening internal divisions and the prolonged crisis that has paralysed the party in the state.
With the legislature largely aligned against him, political observers say pressure had been mounting on Fubara to realign in order to stabilise governance and avoid another round of institutional deadlock.
The governor’s defection marks a historic first: Rivers State, one of Nigeria’s most economically strategic and politically influential states, now has an APC governor for the first time. It also completes the near-total collapse of PDP dominance in the South-South, once the party’s most reliable electoral fortress.
Fubara had been the last PDP governor in the region, following earlier defections by Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno earlier this year. Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri also exited the PDP in November but has yet to declare his next political platform.
The political unraveling in Rivers is rooted in the aftermath of the 2023 general election, when former governor Nyesom Wike openly supported APC presidential candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu against his party’s flagbearer, Atiku Abubakar. Although condemned by some PDP leaders as anti-party conduct, Wike later emerged as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, further consolidating his influence at the centre.
That realignment triggered a fierce battle for control of Rivers politics, pitting Wike and his loyalists in the state assembly against Governor Fubara. The confrontation spilled into open crisis — including impeachment attempts, the partial destruction of the assembly complex, and eventually, federal intervention.
In March, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers, temporarily suspending the governor, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and the lawmakers. Retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas was appointed administrator until normal constitutional order was restored in September.
By crossing over to the APC, Fubara appears to have chosen political survival and stability over prolonged confrontation. While supporters describe the move as pragmatic and reconciliatory, critics see it as further evidence of the PDP’s deepening internal collapse at both state and national levels.
As Rivers enters unfamiliar political territory under an APC governor, attention now turns to whether the defection will translate into genuine stability, improved governance, and a reset of strained political relationships in a state that remains central to Nigeria’s economic and democratic fortunes.
Fubara Joins APC, Ends PDP’s 26-Year Grip on Rivers
