Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has described his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress as a straightforward and natural decision, saying he never truly felt integrated into his former party.
Fubara spoke with journalists on Thursday at the APC national headquarters in Abuja, days after officially joining the ruling party.
The governor’s defection followed months of political turmoil in Rivers State, sparked by a fierce power struggle between him and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, over control of the PDP structure in the state.
At the height of the crisis, President Bola Tinubu intervened by suspending the governor and the Rivers State House of Assembly for six months. Fubara was later reinstated in September.
On Tuesday, December 9, 2025, Fubara formally dumped the PDP for the APC, a move that has been widely interpreted as a significant political shift ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Several members of the Rivers State House of Assembly had also defected to the APC shortly before his decision.
Explaining his move, the governor said his defection was driven by gratitude to President Tinubu and a desire to work with what he described as the “progressive family” to advance development in Rivers State and the country.
“When you say I am a new member of the progressive family, that is correct, but I have always been progressive at heart,” Fubara said.
“Now, we have a clear direction. I will work to bring everyone together to strengthen unity and progress within the party in Rivers State.”
He added that his transition to the APC was one of the simplest decisions he had ever made.
“I think my movement was one of the easiest things I have done in my life,” he said.
“Joining the APC is my way of saying thank you to Mr President and partnering with other progressives to develop my state and Nigeria. It was not difficult at all.”
Fubara also questioned the depth of his membership in the PDP, arguing that most of the challenges he faced during the political crisis stemmed from the party itself.
“If I am being honest, was I really a member of the PDP?” he asked. “Ninety per cent of what I went through was imposed on me by the party. I was there only in name.”
Using a metaphor to describe his position during the crisis, the governor said, “I wasn’t inside the house. I was on the balcony—outside, just observing.”
With his defection, Fubara has emerged as a key APC figure in Rivers State, pledging to foster unity within the party and focus on governance and development.
