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17 pro-Wike lawmakers defect to APC, fuelling speculation around Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
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PDP chieftains claim South-South political shifts may push Fubara toward ruling party.
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Government House officials dismiss rumours, insist no sign of defection by governor.
Fresh political uncertainty has engulfed Rivers State following renewed speculation that Governor Siminalayi Fubara may be considering a defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The rumours intensified after 17 members of the House of Assembly loyal to former governor Nyesom Wike, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, announced their defection to the APC last Friday. The move immediately shifted the power dynamics in the legislature, leaving only three lawmakers known to be aligned with Fubara—none of whom have reconvened since the lifting of the six-month emergency rule.
PDP Voices Concern Over Regional Trends
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A former House of Representatives member and PDP chieftain, Ogbonna Nwuke, told The PUNCH that political currents in the South-South suggest Fubara may eventually gravitate toward the ruling party. He cited recent defections by governors in Delta, Akwa Ibom, and Bayelsa as signals of a broader regional realignment.
Nwuke said the deepening crisis within the PDP has created conditions in which defections are no longer surprising. “When a party is overwhelmed by internal turmoil, members naturally seek alternatives,” he said, referencing the party’s recent issuance of an “expulsion certificate” as evidence of worsening fractures.
He added that although only Fubara can confirm his next political step, current developments indicate he may be weighing his options.
Government House Dismisses Defection Claims
But a senior Government House source denied the rumours, insisting the governor has not indicated any interest in leaving the PDP.
“We are not aware that the governor wants to defect,” the official said. He also argued that the defected lawmakers have not met the Supreme Court requirement of registering with their new party at ward level, saying their claims should not be taken seriously until they do so.
He noted that with the APC preparing for its national convention, anyone intending to join the party at this stage “would have shown clear signals,” which he said are absent in Fubara’s case.
PDP, APC Respond to the Political Climate
Factional Rivers PDP chairman Robinson Ewor said the defected lawmakers were merely holding onto a mandate that belonged to the PDP, insisting the party would take steps to reclaim its seats.
“We must talk to the remaining lawmakers. For those who have moved, we will make every effort to reclaim the mandate,” he said.
Rivers APC chairman Tony Okocha, when asked if he would welcome Fubara into the APC, said the governor had not made contact. “I’m not a soothsayer. If he wishes to join, he will follow his mind,” he said.
READ ALSO: Fubara Says Peace Is Returning to Rivers State as Development Projects Begin
Assembly Tensions Remain High
The Amaewhule-led Assembly continues to hold sittings at the lawmakers’ residential quarters along Aba Road, despite Fubara’s insistence that the reconstructed Assembly complex will be ready this month for the 2026 budget presentation.
At their last sitting, Speaker Amaewhule questioned the governor’s delay in submitting a complete list of commissioner-nominees, saying Fubara’s current cabinet of eight commissioners violates constitutional requirements.
