- Speculation Grows On Fubara Dumping PDP For APC
- Government House dismisses claims, insisting the governor has shown no sign
- PDP vows to reclaim mandates while APC says it has not been contacted
Speculation that Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara may leave the Peoples Democratic Party for the All Progressives Congress has intensified amid renewed political tension in the state.
The development follows the defection of 17 lawmakers loyal to former governor Nyesom Wike, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, who left the PDP for the APC on Friday.
The three lawmakers aligned with Fubara have not returned to plenary since the six-month emergency rule was lifted.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that a former House of Representatives member and PDP chieftain, Ogbonna Nwuke, told The Punch that recent political movements across the South-South indicate that Fubara may eventually consider joining the ruling party. He cited recent defections involving governors in Delta, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa.
He said, “If you look at what is going on in the South-South, governors elected on the PDP platform have decamped. Did we expect the Rivers lawmakers to move? It may have come as a surprise, but when you consider the crisis in the PDP, was it avoidable? Possibly not.
“When a party is bedevilled by crisis, people will naturally look for alternatives. The anti-defection provisions in the constitution recognise differences at the national level, and there are clear indications of such differences in the PDP.”
Nwuke also described the party’s recent decisions, including what he called the issuance of an unusual “expulsion certificate”, as evidence of deep divisions.
On speculations surrounding Fubara’s political direction, he said, “There are speculations that the APC has been wooing the governor. Only he can confirm whether he is crossing. But what we’re seeing suggests he may consider leaving the PDP. And if he does, he will not be the first.”
A senior Government House official rejected the claims, insisting there is no sign that the governor plans to defect.
The official said, “We are not aware that the governor wants to defect. Even the lawmakers claiming to have moved to the APC have not fulfilled the Supreme Court requirement of registering at their wards. Until they produce evidence, nobody should take their claims seriously.”
The official added that anyone intending to join the APC ahead of its forthcoming convention “would have shown clear signals.”
He said, “I don’t see any sign and he has not told us he will be joining the APC. Very soon the APC will round off receiving defectors because in December they will hold their convention. If the governor wanted to move, he would have shown signs by now. But let’s keep our fingers crossed.”
Factional PDP chairman in Rivers State, Robinson Ewor, criticised the defectors, accusing them of abandoning the party’s mandate. He vowed that the PDP would work to reclaim all lost seats.
He said, “My prayer is that they shouldn’t deny again. There is no division in the PDP that justifies their action. What they are holding is the PDP’s mandate.
“We must definitely talk to the remaining PDP lawmakers. And for those who have moved, the party must make an effort to reclaim its mandate. What they are holding is the PDP mandate.”
Rivers APC chairman, Tony Okocha, said he had not been contacted by the governor and would not speculate on his intentions.
He said, “I’m not a soothsayer. The governor has not reached out to me. If I have the opportunity of talking to him, I will advise him to follow his mind. Why put the cart before the horse?”
