GOVERNOR Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He announced this at a stakeholders meeting at the government house in Port Harcourt.
His defection came four days after the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and 17 others dumped the PDP for the APC on December 5.
The lawmakers had blamed their departure from the PDP on the crisis in the party.
Others who dumped the PDP were the Deputy Speaker, Dumle Maol (Gokana), Major Jack (Akuku-Toru), Linda Stewart (Okrika), Franklin Nwabochi (Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni), Azeru Opara (Port Harcourt 3), Smart Adoki (Port Harcourt 2), Enemi George (Asari-Toru 2), and Solomon Wami (Port Harcourt 1).
Also included were Igwe Aforji (Eleme), Tekena Wellington (Asari-Toru 1), Looloo Opuende (Akuku-Toru 2), Peter Abbey (Degema), Arnold Dennis (Ogu/Bolo), Chimezie Nwankwo (Etche), Gerald Oforji (Oyigbo) and Ofiks Kabang (Andoni).
Following the departure of the Speaker and other key members of the House of Assembly, there were reports of mounting pressure on the governor to move to the ruling APC.
The oil-rich South-South region had been a stronghold of the PDP since 1999, but the party’s defeat to the APC in the 2015 presidential election prompted a reallignment that forced political heavyweights, including governors, to joined the ruling party.
Before his defection, Fubara was the only governor on the platform of the PDP in the South-South region, following the recent defection of governors Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta) and Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom) to the APC in April and June, respectively.
Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State dumped the PDP in November, but has yet to officially join another party.
The development in Rivers marks the first time that the oil-rich state will have an APC governor.
The PDP had maintained a tight grip on the state since 1999.
Many believe the PDP’s influence in Rivers politics began to wane when a former governor of the state, Nyesom Wike, declared his support for the candidate of the APC in the 2023 presidential election, Bola Tinubu, after former vice president Atiku Abubakar emerged as the candidate of the opposition party.
Wike’s action was termed anti-party by some leaders of the PDP.
But Tinubu, who was declared the winner of the presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), later appointed the former governor as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
A protracted political disagreement between Wike and Fubara had pitched the lawmakers against the governor.
The crisis led to the partial demolition of the State Assembly complex by forces allegedly loyal to Fubara as well as the attempted moves to impeach the governor by the lawmakers loyal to the FCT minister.
President Tinubu waded in and declared a state of emergency on March 18, suspending the governor and his deputy, Ngozi Odu and the lawmakers.
Tinubu also appointed Vice Admiral Ibok Ete (retd.) as the administrator.
At the expiration of the emergency rule on September 17, the President reinstated Fubara, his deputy and the lawmakers.
Meanwhile, the leadership crisis in the PDP has lingered since the outcome of the 2023 presidential election.
The division deepened with the emergence of two factions at the national level of the party, with explusions and counter-expulsions of key members of the party.