• Tonye Cole says Fubara joined illegal Rivers APC faction, insists Emeka Beke-led group is authentic
• APC Rivers leadership crisis deepens amid Fubara’s defection from PDP to APC
• Cole warns of legal risks and repeat of 2019 Rivers APC crisis
Former Rivers State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Tonye Cole, has claimed that Governor Siminalayi Fubara joined an illegal faction of the APC in the state, warning that the move puts him at political risk.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Cole said the Emeka Beke-led faction remains the only legally recognised leadership of the APC in Rivers State, stressing that any other faction lacks legal standing.
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Fubara had defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC in December 2025 and was publicly received by Tony Okocha, a factional chairman of the party in the state. The APC national leadership also formally welcomed the governor into the ruling party.
However, Cole argued that Fubara’s defection was done through the “wrong channel,” insisting that membership and recognition must come through the Beke-led faction.
According to him, Fubara cannot be legally regarded as an APC member in Rivers State until he aligns with the faction recognised by the courts.
Cole described Fubara’s defection as a smart political decision that is generally welcomed within the APC, including by himself, but maintained that legality must be followed to avoid future complications.
He said a subsisting court judgment recognises the Emeka Beke-led faction as the legitimate APC leadership in Rivers, adding that any individual or group operating outside it does not exist in the eyes of the law.
Cole questioned the authority of those who issued Fubara an APC membership card, noting that Tony Okocha’s faction has no legal backing.
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While acknowledging that Fubara may enjoy national recognition within the APC, Cole warned that such recognition does not override the legal structure at the state level.
“He should come to the legally recognised structure. We will welcome him properly because we have the legal standing to do so. Where he is now, he isn’t safe,” Cole said.
He further cautioned the APC leadership against repeating the 2019 Rivers State scenario, when internal disputes led to court rulings that barred the party from fielding candidates in elections.
Cole said failure to resolve the factional crisis properly could again expose the party to legal setbacks and electoral losses in Rivers State.