Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State is set to announce his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), sources close to the government house have revealed to THE WHISTLER.
The move comes after Fubara ended the protracted rift between him and his estranged political godfather and predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who is the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
The rift, which started towards the end of 2023, saw an attempt to impeach Fubara by members of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to Wike.
What began as an alleged misunderstanding over control of state resources and appointments worsened when arsonists torched part of the Rivers State House Assembly complex on October 29, 2023, hours before the pro-Wike lawmakers planned to impeach the governor.
At the peak of the crisis, President Bola Tinubu declared a State of Emergency in Rivers in March 2025, which saw Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the House of Assembly suspended for an initial six months.
Former Chief of Naval Staff, Ibok Ekwe Ibas, was appointed as the sole administrator of the state.
Fubara, his deputy and the lawmakers were restored after the suspension was lifted in September 2025.
His defection may be seen as an attempt to seek political refuge and alignment with federal power, as his political base in the PDP may have been weakened.
Fubara’s political journey began in the finance department of the Rivers State civil service. He became the accountant general of the state in 2020.
In May 2022, Fubara won the PDP governorship primary by a large margin after securing the endorsement of then-governor Wike.
He won the governorship election held in March 2023 by defeating the APC candidate, Tonye Cole, and others with over 300,000 votes.