Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has said that his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) was to show gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Speaking with journalists on Thursday at the APC national headquarters in Abuja, Fubara explained that his defection was not steered by political pressure but by appreciation, noting that aligning with the APC was a natural step for him.
According to him, saying “thank you” to President Tinubu for his role during the political crisis in Rivers State made the transition straightforward.
“My joining the All Progressives Congress is to say thank you to Mr President and to join hands with other progressives to develop my state and Nigeria at large. It wasn’t a difficult decision; it was easy,” he said.
He added that he had always identified with progressive ideals, even while he remained in the PDP.
Fubara said his experience in the opposition party was largely nominal, stressing that he was never fully integrated into its internal structure.
“If I have to be honest, was I really a member of the PDP? I wasn’t. Whatever I suffered during the political crisis, about 90 per cent of it was imposed on me by the party. I was just there in name. During the crisis, I wasn’t part of any group. I was on the balcony, not inside the house,” he said.
Fubara’s defection follows months of intense political turmoil in Rivers State, marked by a prolonged power struggle with his predecessor, former governor Nyesom Wike, over control of the PDP structure in the state.
The crisis led President Tinubu to suspend both the governor and the Rivers State House of Assembly for six months in a move aimed at restoring stability.
The governor was reinstated in September and formally defected to the APC on Tuesday, December 9, 2025.
His move came shortly after several members of 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.
With his entry into the APC, Fubara said he would work to unite party members in Rivers State and provide clear leadership for the party’s growth and development.
“Now that I am a member, I will ensure that I bring everybody together for more unity and progress of the party in the state. There is now a direction, and there is nothing to worry about,” he said.
