Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). This significant political shift occurred five days after 17 members of the State House of Assembly also abandoned the PDP for the APC. Governor Fubara made the announcement following a crucial meeting with stakeholders at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, emphasizing that his decision was made in the best interest of Rivers State.

Explaining his rationale, Governor Fubara stated his determination to avoid any missteps and revealed that he had met with President Bola Tinubu in Abuja on Monday to convey his intention to join the APC. He expressed profound gratitude to President Tinubu for his pivotal role in restoring his government after a six-month suspension, which resulted from a protracted political crisis that plagued the state for approximately two years. Fubara underscored that his appreciation was directed solely to President Tinubu and the people of Rivers State, asserting that without the President's intervention, he would no longer be serving as governor.

Historically, Rivers State has been a steadfast stronghold of the Peoples Democratic Party since 1999, consistently demonstrating overwhelming support for the party in almost every election cycle. The state was once considered a bastion of the PDP, reliably returning the party’s candidates from local to national levels. Prominent governors such as Peter Odili, Celestine Omehia, Rotimi Amaechi (prior to his defection), Nyesom Wike, and most recently, Siminalayi Fubara, all emerged from the PDP platform. Even when Rotimi Amaechi, a sitting governor, defected to the APC, the majority of Rivers residents remained loyal to the PDP, electing Nyesom Wike as governor and supporting the party in presidential elections. In the last governorship election, Fubara, as the PDP candidate, secured a resounding victory over his closest rival, Tonye Cole of the APC, by a margin of 302,614 votes to 95,274.

However, the state’s political landscape began to shift. In the 2023 presidential election, the PDP uncharacteristically lost in Rivers State, placing third with 88,468 votes, behind the APC (231,591) and the Labour Party (175,071). This decline in PDP's dominance in Rivers State has its roots in the internal strife within the party, particularly the public rebellion led by then-governor Nyesom Wike against the national PDP and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Wike further deepened the crisis by accepting a ministerial position in the APC-led federal government, a move that exposed his leaning towards the ruling party even while nominally remaining in the PDP.

This evolving dynamic led to a significant squabble between Wike, now the FCT minister, and Governor Fubara, who felt his authority as executive governor was being undermined. The body language and actions of the FCT minister influenced members of the State House of Assembly loyal to him. While some reports suggested that Assembly members loyal to Wike had initially defected to the APC on December 5, 2023, and then