Why I Left PDP For APC

Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has now formally dumped the Peoples Democratic Party and defected to the All Progressives Congress.

He made the declaration during a stakeholders’ meeting held at the Government House in Port Harcourt.

He later arrived at the Villa in the evening and was seen heading towards the President’s office shortly after Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru had gone in for a separate discussion.

Addressing attendees in Port Harcourt, Fubara explained that he and his team could no longer continue supporting the President from the background.

He said that offering genuine support to the President required openly identifying with him, which led to the decision to join the APC.

“We can’t support President (Tinubu) if we don’t fully identify with him, not just backyard support. Our decision this evening is that we are moving to the APC”, he stated.

His defection comes after a prolonged period of political instability in Rivers State.

His disagreement with his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, began towards the end of 2023 and escalated when pro-Wike lawmakers attempted to remove him from office.

Tension rose even further when part of the Rivers State House of Assembly building was set ablaze on 29 October 2023, only hours before the lawmakers were expected to take action against him.

By March 2025, the crisis had reached a level that forced President Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in the state.

Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the House were suspended for six months, while former Chief of Naval Staff Ibok Ekwe Ibas was appointed as the sole administrator.

They were reinstated in September 2025.

Analysts believe that the governor’s move to the APC is connected to the weakening of his political base within the PDP following the long-running conflict.

Fubara started his public service career in the state’s finance sector, eventually becoming accountant-general in 2020. He won the PDP primary in 2022 with support from Wike and later won the 2023 governorship election by a wide margin.