Rivers Political Earthquake: Fubara Dumps PDP, Storms APC — Declares Tinubu His Lifeline
By Passman Akpos
In a dramatic twist that has sent shockwaves across the nation’s political landscape, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara on Tuesday officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), declaring President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the only reason his tenure survived the state’s vicious political storm.
Addressing stakeholders at the Government House in Port Harcourt, Fubara held nothing back, crediting President Tinubu with preserving his position when the political crisis in the state reached blazing heights.
> “The reason why we are still standing is because of that place, and the truth is, without Mr President, there wouldn’t be any His Excellency Siminalayi Fubara; it would have been the former governor,” he announced to thunderous applause.
According to him, supporting Tinubu from behind the curtains was no longer enough:
> “Our only thank-you to Mr President is to support him, and we cannot support him in isolation. We have taken that decision today… we are moving to APC.”
Gale Of Defection Sweeping Rivers State
Fubara’s bold move arrives just four days after Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly Martin Amaewhule and 17 other lawmakers abandoned the PDP ship and defected to the APC on December 5.
The lawmakers, including the Deputy Speaker, Dumle Maol, and major influencers across constituencies, blamed their exit on the deepening intra-party crisis within the PDP.
Now with the governor defecting, what began as a trickle has become a political flood, drowning the PDP’s once firm grip on the oil-rich state.
Political Realignment Shaking the South-South
Historically the PDP’s fortress, the South-South is rapidly transforming into APC territory.
In the last few months alone:
Delta State governor, Sheriff Oborevwori → defected to APC
Akwa Ibom governor, Umo Eno → defected to APC
Bayelsa State governor, Douye Diri → dumped PDP in November
Until today, Fubara was the only remaining PDP governor in the entire South-South.
Now, the PDP has zero governors left in the region — a historic fall from dominance since 1999.
Waning PDP Influence — And The Wike Fallout
Analysts trace the PDP’s slow collapse in Rivers to the moment former state governor Nyesom Wike publicly backed APC’s Tinubu over his own party’s presidential candidate in 2023.
That move triggered a chain reaction:
Wike was labeled “anti-party”
Tinubu rewarded him with a powerful FCT Minister appointment
The state plunged into political chaos
Fubara’s government and the APC-backed Wike camp collided fiercely, leading to:
The attempted impeachment of Fubara
Partial demolition of the State Assembly complex
The Tinubu-led State of Emergency in March
Suspension and reinstatement of the governor and lawmakers in September
Today’s defection is the climax of that unresolved struggle.
The PDP Implodes Nationally
The crisis rocking Rivers mirrors what is happening at the national level:
PDP factions have splintered into camps
Expulsions and counter-expulsions are flying
A once-dominant party has become a battlefield of egos
With the last PDP governor in the South-South now switching sides, the party is clinically weakened.
What Next For Rivers Politics?
Fubara’s shift to APC instantly:
Changes political calculations ahead of 2027
Gives APC its first governor ever in Rivers State
Weakens the PDP’s power base
Deepens national realignment around the presidency
Political watchers say this is the most consequential defection since 2015.
Bottom Line
Siminalayi Fubara’s announcement was not just a defection —
it was a political earthquake marking the death of PDP dominance in Rivers and the rise of Tinubu’s APC powerbase in the oil-rich heartland.
The shockwaves will be felt for years.
