Nigeria’s Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has defected from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to President Bola Tinubu’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), ending the PDP’s 25-year grip on the oil-rich state.
The governor announced the move on Monday evening during a stakeholders’ meeting in Port Harcourt, surrounded by local leaders and supporters.
Mr Fubara said his decision was driven by gratitude to President Tinubu, whom he credited for his survival in office, declaring: “Without Mr President, there wouldn’t be any Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
”The defection follows last week’s switch by the speaker of the state assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and 17 other lawmakers to the APC, all citing irreconcilable crisis within the PDP.
The political turmoil in Rivers began with a bitter fallout between Mr Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike now a federal minister in the APC government which led to impeachment attempts, demolition of part of the assembly complex and a brief state of emergency earlier this year.
Mr Fubara’s move makes Rivers the latest South-South state to fall to the APC in 2025, after similar defections by governors of Delta, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa, consolidating President Tinubu’s influence in the Niger Delta.
The PDP has responded coldly, stating that the governor “willingly travelled this path” and should not blame the party for the consequences.
Analysts see the defection as a step toward political stability in Rivers but warn it deepens Nigeria’s realignment of power ahead of future elections.