Fubara Breaks Silence on Switching to APC

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has said his decision to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) was driven by gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his intervention during the political crisis in the state.

Speaking with journalists on Thursday at the APC national headquarters in Abuja, Fubara dismissed claims of political coercion, describing his defection as a voluntary and natural decision rooted in appreciation.

According to the governor, aligning with the APC was his way of formally saying “thank you” to President Tinubu and joining hands with other progressives to advance development in Rivers State and Nigeria.

> “My joining the All Progressives Congress is to say thank you to Mr President and to work with other progressives to develop my state and the country. It was not a difficult decision at all,” he said.

Fubara noted that although he emerged governor on the platform of the PDP, he never fully belonged to the party, insisting that his membership was largely in name.

> “If I am being honest, was I really a member of the PDP? I wasn’t. About 90 per cent of what I went through during the political crisis was imposed on me by the party. I was not part of any faction; I was on the balcony, not inside the house,” he stated.

The governor’s defection follows months of intense political turbulence in Rivers State, sparked by a power struggle with his predecessor, former governor Nyesom Wike, over control of the PDP structure.

The crisis led President Tinubu to suspend both the governor and the Rivers State House of Assembly for six months in a bid to restore stability. Fubara was later reinstated in September.

He formally defected to the APC on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, shortly after several lawmakers in the Rivers State House of Assembly also crossed over to the ruling party, signaling a major political realignment in the oil-producing state ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Fubara assured APC members in Rivers State of unity and direction, pledging to strengthen the party and provide purposeful leadership.

> “Now that I am a member, I will bring everyone together for unity and progress. There is a clear direction, and there is nothing to worry about,” he said.