Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State is reportedly set to announce his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), according to sources close to the Government House.
The political move comes after Fubara recently ended the protracted and bitter rift with his estranged political godfather and predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The political crisis, which began towards the end of 2023, rapidly escalated and saw an attempt by the pro-Wike members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to impeach Governor Fubara. The height of the crisis saw an arson attack on a section of the State House of Assembly complex in October 2023.
The conflict eventually necessitated intervention from the Federal Government. In March 2025, President Bola Tinubu declared a State of Emergency in Rivers, which resulted in the suspension of Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the House of Assembly for an initial six months.
The state was run by a sole administrator, former Chief of Naval Staff, Ibok Ekwe Ibas, until the suspension was lifted in September 2025.
According to The Whistler, sources suggest that Fubara’s imminent defection may be viewed as an attempt to seek political refuge and align himself with the federal power structure, particularly as his political base within the fractured PDP may have been significantly weakened during the power struggle.
Fubara, who was the former Accountant General of Rivers State (2020), won the PDP governorship primary in May 2022 after securing the endorsement of then-Governor Wike. He went on to win the March 2023 governorship election by defeating the APC candidate, Tonye Cole, with a margin of over 300,000 votes.
Naijaonpoint reports that Fubara had a closed-door meeting with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa on Monday night.
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