Fubara dumps PDP for APC, says move necessary to back President Tinubu

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), marking a major political shift in the South-South region.

Fubara announced his defection on Tuesday during a stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House in Port Harcourt. He joins several other South-South governors who recently left the PDP, including Delta State’s Sheriff Oborevwori, Akwa Ibom’s Umo Eno, Enugu’s Peter Mbah, and Bayelsa’s Douye Diri.

Explaining the decision, Fubara said aligning fully with President Bola Tinubu was necessary to support the administration’s agenda.

“We can’t support President Tinubu from the backyard,” he said. “Everyone who has followed and suffered with me knows the decision we have taken today — we are moving to the APC.”

His announcement came a day after he visited President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. Fubara arrived the State House around 5:01 p.m., held a meeting behind closed doors, and departed about 40 minutes later. Details of their discussion were not made public.

The governor’s defection comes months after President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State on March 18, suspending Fubara, his deputy, and all state lawmakers for six months amid escalating political tensions between the governor and the House of Assembly.

Tinubu appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas — now an ambassador — as administrator to oversee the state during the period. Fubara resumed office six months later, pledging to restore peace and rebuild trust.

In a statewide broadcast, he described the emergency rule as a difficult but necessary phase to protect democratic institutions. He said he resisted pressure to challenge the constitutionality of the President’s directive in order to prioritise peace over political confrontation.

Following Tinubu’s intervention in the dispute, Fubara, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, and the Rivers State House of Assembly agreed to reconcile for the stability and progress of the state.

Fubara said the reconciliation was in the best interest of the people of Rivers State, adding that the new political alignment would help move the state forward.