- Gov Fubara dumps PDP and joins APC at a stakeholders’ meeting.
- His switch follows the defection of Speaker Amaewhule and 17 lawmakers.
- South-South region sees major realignments as PDP influence weakens.
- Wike–Fubara rift and recent power struggles shaped the unfolding shift.
Rivers State politics took a new turn on Tuesday as Governor Siminalayi Fubara announced his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). The decision was revealed during a stakeholders’ gathering at the Government House in Port Harcourt, ending months of speculation surrounding his political future.
His move comes barely four days after the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, alongside 17 lawmakers, crossed from the PDP to the APC. The lawmakers cited internal party crises as their reason for leaving.
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The list of defectors included several notable members such as Dumle Maol, Major Jack, Linda Stewart, Franklin Nwabochi, Smart Adoki, and others across various constituencies, a development many analysts described as a political landslide.
With pressure mounting and alignments shifting, Fubara’s exit from the PDP seemed inevitable.
The South-South has long been known as a PDP fortress since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999. However, recent events show a steady political redirection. Earlier in the year, Gov Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta) and Gov Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom) switched to the APC, while Gov Douye Diri (Bayelsa) exited the PDP but has yet to declare a new affiliation.
Fubara, until now the only PDP governor remaining in the region, becomes the latest major figure to realign ahead of what analysts believe may be a recalibration of power in the geopolitical zone.
Many observers link the gradual collapse of PDP power in Rivers to the fallout between Fubara and former governor Nyesom Wike. Their disagreement split the party, polarised lawmakers and led to an attempted impeachment, demolition of the Assembly complex, and months of tension.
“The party has lost its grip. The centre can no longer hold,” a political source familiar with the development commented following the defection.
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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had intervened at the peak of the crisis, declaring a temporary emergency in March, suspending the governor, his deputy and lawmakers before reinstating them in September.
Even after peace was brokered, the PDP’s structure remained shaky, a void now exploited by the APC as defections multiply.
For the first time since 1999, Rivers State will be governed under the APC. The chapter that begins with Governor Fubara’s move may reshape election strategies ahead of 2027 and redefine who holds influence in the oil-rich state.
While the PDP wrestles with internal divisions and national-level factional disputes, momentum continues to shift elsewhere.
