Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday, a strategic move reportedly executed to pre-empt his estranged predecessor, Nyesom Wike, and take control of the APC structure in the oil-rich state.

The defection, which Fubara lannounced at a stakeholders’ meeting in Port Harcourt, was confirmed to be a calculated political maneuver following his closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Abuja on Monday.

Governor Fubara, while announcing his defection, publicly acknowledged President Tinubu’s intervention as the sole reason he survived the political turmoil, which saw his government briefly suspended...TAP TO CONTINUE FULL READING.

He said: “I know you have been waiting to hear from me. I have to arrange this meeting so urgently. I know it will end on a good note

“You are aware that I went to see Mr President yesterday, and the reason I went for that visit is not just personal, but a state interest consultation.

“I don’t want to make any mistakes this time around. I also don’t want to step on any landmine that anyone is laying for us. So I was with Mr President yesterday to brief him on the situation of things in our state, which I believe he has taken note of, and he is going to act swiftly on it.

“The most interesting part of the meeting is what you all have been waiting for, and you have been asking me, the signal has finally arrived.

“We have the full support and the positive nod to leave where we are because we didn’t get any protection, to go to where the reason we are still standing is because of that place.

“The truth is, without Mr. President, there won’t be any His Excellency Sir Siminalayi Fubara; it would have been the former governor.

“So, we have every reason. Let no one be fooled in this State, we have the people and the supporters as well as the numbers. Our only thank you to Mr. President is to support him. We can’t support Mr. President in isolation, and we can’t show that support if we don’t fully identify with him, not backyard support.

“So, we have taken that decision today, since we have got the pass. Everyone here who has followed and suffered with me, our decision today, we are all moving to APC.“

Sources in Governor Fubara’s camp revealed to The Whistler that the defection was based on counsel from political strategists who urged him to join the APC before Wike, despite the FCT Minister’s alignment with the federal ruling party.

The main objective was to secure control of the APC’s political structure in Rivers State ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The strategy banked on Wike’s ongoing internal battles within the PDP, which reportedly led to him being isolated and without access to President Bola Tinubu for the last two months.

The source said Fubara was initially reluctant to make the move, concerned that it would be viewed as disrespectful to Wike and re-ignite the crisis that had just been resolved.

“The governor was reluctant at first. He felt it would be disrespectful to join the APC before his former boss and political benefactor. He was also concerned about reigniting the crisis that had just been resolved. He didn’t want to be seen as betraying Wike or repeating the same pattern that caused their problems in the first place,” the source told The Whistler.

The source explained: “Governor Fubara agreed with the calculation to join the APC first. They (his advisers) convinced him that this was the best way to secure his political future.”

Fubara’s camp asserts that his supporters and loyalists across the state are expected to follow his lead, effectively positioning him as the new leader of the APC in Rivers State.