Governor Siminalayi Fubara faces Rivers PDP crisis as lawmakers defect to APC, prompting speculation over his political future
Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara is at the centre of growing political uncertainty as a faction of the state House of Assembly loyal to former governor Nyesom Wike defects from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.
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Last Friday, 17 lawmakers, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, formally switched allegiance, leaving only three legislators considered loyal to Governor Fubara.
These three have not resumed sitting since the six-month emergency rule in the state was lifted, intensifying speculation over the governor’s future within the PDP.
Speaking with The PUNCH, former House of Representatives member and PDP chieftain Ogbonna Nwuke suggested that Fubara could eventually defect to the APC, noting that governors in Delta, Akwa Ibom, and Bayelsa—historical PDP strongholds—have recently crossed over to the ruling party at the centre.
Nwuke said, “When a party is bedevilled by crisis, people will naturally look for alternatives. There are clear indications of such differences in the PDP.”
He described recent internal party actions, including issuing an unprecedented “expulsion certificate,” as evidence of deep-seated turmoil.
A senior Government House official dismissed the rumours, insisting that Governor Fubara had not shown any intention to leave the PDP.
“Even the lawmakers claiming to have moved to the APC have not fulfilled the Supreme Court requirement of registering at their wards. Until they produce evidence, nobody should take their claims seriously,” the official said.
The factional PDP chairman in Rivers State, Robinson Ewor, also condemned the defections, vowing that the party would reclaim its mandate from the lawmakers. “There is no division in the PDP that justifies their action. What they are holding is the PDP mandate,” he said.
State APC chairman Tony Okocha said the party had not been contacted by the governor. “I’m not a soothsayer. The governor has not reached out to me,” he noted, leaving the possibility of a switch open but unconfirmed.
Meanwhile, tension persists as the Amaewhule-led Assembly continues to sit at lawmakers’ residential quarters along Aba Road, despite promises from Fubara to relocate to the newly reconstructed Assembly complex this month.
At their last sitting, Amaewhule criticised the governor for operating with only eight commissioners and for not providing a complete list of commissioner nominees, which he said contravenes constitutional expectations.
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The developments underscore the fragility of party cohesion in Rivers State and the wider South-South region, as internal PDP crises fuel defections and uncertainty over political alignments ahead of the 2026 elections.
