(Apples Bite Magazine) – Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) following strategic advice from his political allies, who urged him to join the ruling party before his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, to secure control of the APC’s structure in the state.
Fubara announced his defection on Tuesday at a stakeholders meeting held at the Government House in Port Harcourt, after receiving President Bola Tinubu’s approval during a meeting on Monday.
A source close to the governor revealed that Fubara’s advisers convinced him that joining the APC ahead of Wike was essential to securing his political future and controlling the party machinery in Rivers State ahead of the 2027 elections.
“Governor Fubara agreed with the calculation to join the APC first. They convinced him that this was the best way to secure his political future,” the source explained.
The governor was initially hesitant about the move, concerned about showing disrespect to his former political benefactor and reigniting the crisis that had just been resolved between them.
“The governor was reluctant at first. He felt it would be disrespectful to join the APC before his former boss and political benefactor. He was also concerned about reigniting the crisis that had just been resolved,” said the source.
Fubara’s Address to Stakeholders
Speaking at the meeting, Fubara acknowledged President Tinubu’s role in his political survival and explained the rationale behind his decision.
“The truth is, without Mr. President, there won’t be any His Excellency Sir Siminalayi Fubara; it would have been the former governor,” he stated.
He added that the decision to join the APC was necessary to demonstrate full support for the president. “We can’t support Mr. President in isolation, and we can’t show that support if we don’t fully identify with him, not backyard support.”
The governor assured his supporters that he had received the president’s full backing to leave the PDP, where he claimed they received no protection, and move to the APC.
Wike’s Limited Access to Tinubu
Sources indicate that Wike, who currently serves as the Federal Capital Territory Minister, has not had access to President Tinubu in the last two months due to ongoing conflicts within the PDP. This development reportedly provided Fubara with an opportunity to strengthen his position with the president.
Wike and his ally, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, the factional Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, have been involved in disputes within the opposition party ahead of the 2027 elections.
Background of the Fubara-Wike Rift
The defection comes months after Fubara resolved a bitter political feud with Wike that began in late 2023. The conflict saw pro-Wike lawmakers in the Rivers State House of Assembly attempt to impeach the governor over alleged disagreements concerning control of state resources and appointments.
The crisis escalated when arsonists set fire to part of the State House of Assembly complex in October 2023, just hours before the planned impeachment proceedings.
At the height of the tensions, President Tinubu declared a State of Emergency in Rivers State in March 2025, suspending Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the House of Assembly for six months. Former Chief of Naval Staff Ibok Ekwe Ibas was appointed as sole administrator during the suspension period.
Fubara and the suspended officials were restored to their positions in September 2025 after the emergency measures were lifted.
Fubara’s Political Rise
Governor Fubara’s political career began in the finance department of the Rivers State civil service, where he eventually became accountant general in 2020. In May 2022, he won the PDP governorship primary with Wike’s endorsement and went on to defeat the APC candidate Tonye Cole in the March 2023 governorship election by over 300,000 votes.
With his defection now official, Fubara positions himself as the leader of the APC in the oil-rich state, and his supporters and loyalists are expected to follow him to the ruling party in the coming days.
