Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday, a decision he announced in Port Harcourt shortly after a crucial meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Abuja on Monday. Governor Fubara cited the need to protect the interests of the people of Rivers State and his resolve to support President Tinubu as primary drivers for his defection. He also expressed a feeling of not receiving the expected protection from the PDP, asserting that his current position as governor is solely due to the President's support.

Reacting to the defection, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) expressed profound pity for Governor Fubara, describing his political predicament as self-inflicted. In a statement released on Tuesday, PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, invoked the legal maxim “Volenti non fit injuria,” implying that no harm can be done to one who is willing. Ememobong stated that Fubara willingly chose the path that led to his defection and therefore cannot accuse the PDP or any other entity of abandoning or failing to protect him.

The PDP cautioned Governor Fubara to avoid what it termed “Stockholm Syndrome,” a psychological phenomenon where a victim develops an attachment to their oppressor. The party also used the Rivers State situation as a critical example of the dysfunctional nature of Nigerian democracy, where powerful individuals often supersede institutions and the federal machinery is allegedly deployed to suppress political opponents. The PDP further warned that Nigeria’s democracy is severely threatened by such actions, accusing the ruling party of relentlessly pursuing a one-party state and shrinking the political space.

Fubara's defection marks a significant political shift, particularly in the South-South geopolitical region, as it consolidates the APC's control. Rivers State was the last of the six states in the South-South geo-political zone under PDP control. Previously, governors in Delta (Sheriff Oboriewvori), Akwa Ibom (Umo Eno), and Bayelsa (Douye Diri) had also defected to the APC earlier in the year. The APC had reclaimed control of Edo State after the 2024 governorship election, and Cross River has been under APC control since 2021, gradually eroding the PDP's long-standing dominance in the region.