Rivers Governor Fubara Poised to Dump PDP for APC

According to people close to the Government House, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara is expected to announce his switch from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The political action follows Fubara’s recent reconciliation with his estranged political godfather and predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who is currently the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister.

The pro-Wike members of the Rivers State House of Assembly attempted to impeach Governor Fubara as the political crisis, which started at the end of 2023, quickly worsened. An arson attack on a portion of the State House of Assembly complex occurred in October 2023 during the height of the crisis.

Eventually, the Federal Government had to step in to resolve the disagreement. Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the House of Assembly were suspended for the first six months following President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a State of Emergency in Rivers in March 2025.

Ibok Ekwe Ibas, a former Chief of Naval Staff, served as the state’s only administrator until the suspension was lifted in September 2025.

The Whistler reports that sources speculate that Fubara’s impending defection could be seen as an effort to align himself with the federal power structure and seek political refuge, especially since his political base within the split PDP may have been severely undermined during the power struggle.

After gaining the support of then-Governor Wike, Fubara, the former Accountant General of Rivers State (2020), won the PDP primary for governorship in May 2022. He went on to defeat Tonye Cole, the APC candidate, by more than 300,000 votes to win the governorship in March 2023.

Fubara reportedly met with President Tinubu behind closed doors on Monday evening at the Presidential Villa.