Politics
Defection Rumours Rise As Fubara Faces Mounting Assembly Fire
Speculation is mounting that Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, may soon dump the Peoples Democratic Party for the All Progressives Congress following fresh political turbulence in the state.
Last Friday, 17 members of the House of Assembly loyal to former governor Nyesom Wike and led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule announced their defection from the PDP to the APC, instantly shifting the legislature’s balance of power. The only three lawmakers considered loyal to Fubara have not resumed sitting since the six-month emergency rule in the state was lifted, deepening uncertainty around the governor’s political future.
Speaking with The PUNCH, a PDP chieftain and former member of the House of Representatives, Ogbonna Nwuke, said recent political movements in the South-South suggest Fubara may eventually head to the ruling party at the centre.
Nwuke, who represented Etche–Omuma in the National Assembly and once served as Rivers Commissioner for Information, said the defection of governors in Delta, Akwa Ibom and, most recently, Bayelsa—formerly PDP strongholds—points to a broader trend that may pull Fubara along.
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.”
Describing the PDP’s recent internal actions—including issuing an unprecedented “expulsion certificate”—as signs of deep-seated turmoil, Nwuke said PDP members are simply reacting to a party that “has not been this divided in a long time.”
On whether Fubara might soon join the APC, 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.”
But a senior Government House official, who asked not to be named, dismissed the rumours, insisting Governor Fubara had shown no sign of defecting.
“We are not aware that the governor wants to defect,” he said. “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 the APC’s upcoming national convention means anyone intending to join the party at this time “would have shown clear signals,” which Fubara has not.
“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,”he added.
Similarly, the factional PDP chairman in Rivers State, Robinson Ewor, mocked the defected lawmakers, saying the party would work to reclaim its mandate.
“My prayer is that they shouldn’t deny again,” he said. “There is no division in the PDP that justifies their action. What they are holding is the PDP’s mandate.”
Ewor vowed that the PDP would reclaim its mandate from the defected lawmakers.
“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.”
When asked if he would welcome Fubara to the APC, state APC chairman, Tony Okocha, said he had not been contacted by the governor.
“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?” he said.
Meanwhile, fresh tension may be brewing as the Amaewhule-led Assembly continues to sit at the lawmakers’ residential quarters along Aba Road, despite Fubara’s insistence that the newly reconstructed Assembly complex will be ready this month and his promise to present the 2026 budget there.
At their sitting last Friday, Amaewhule queried the governor’s delay in forwarding a full list of commissioner-nominees to the House, noting that Fubara was running the state with only eight commissioners—an action he said contravenes constitutional expectations.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) is set to increase its number of governors to 26, following the imminent defection of Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The move comes as Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas is already considered to be in the APC fold, pending his official reception ceremony.
A source within the APC National Working Committee (NWC) confirmed that Governor Mutfwang’s decision to switch allegiance ahead of the 2027 general elections has been “wrapped up”, and he has already held a meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The APC official confirmed that Governor Mutfwang, who was elected on the platform of the factionalized PDP, contacted the APC National Chairman last week to signal his intention to quit the main opposition party.
“The governor, who had always reiterated his commitment to the PDP, has finally decided. He informed the chairman last Tuesday, and the chairman took him to the president on Sunday,” the NWC member revealed to The Nation.
The official noted that the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda (who was Mutfwang’s rival in the last governorship poll), subsequently facilitated a meeting for the Plateau Governor at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
“Governor Mutfwang has been taken to Aso Villa for a meeting with the president after informing the chairman he wanted to come to the APC. He will be received into the party very soon,” the source added.
This confirmation ends swirling speculations that the defection was being resisted by Prof. Yilwatda, with the party official dismissing such reports as untrue.
The NWC member also stated that Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas is now being treated as an APC member, putting the ruling party’s count at 26 governors.
“We now have 26 governors in APC, with Kefas on board. He only postponed his reception because of sensitivity to the national mood,” the official added, referencing the initial postponement of Kefas’s official defection rally.
Statutory organs and key leadership blocs of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have thrown their weight behind the newly elected National Working Committee (NWC) led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN), signaling a major consolidation effort following the party’s 2025 National Convention in Ibadan.
The show of force and unity is being organized through a series of high-level solidarity meetings scheduled to hold in Abuja over the coming days.
In a statement signed by the National Organizing Secretary, Theophilus Dakas Shan, the party structures mobilized include: PDP State Chairmen; National Assembly Caucuses (Senate and House of Representatives); National Ex-Officio members; Forums of former governors, ministers, and past NWC officials.
The party announced a schedule of strategic engagements aimed at stabilizing the party and charting a new course for the opposition movement.
The key meetings are slated as follows: the NWC will on Wednesday, meet separately with PDP state chairmen, members of the House of Representatives, and National Ex-Officio members. On December 16, former governors, former ministers, and former NWC members are expected to meet the new party leadership, while the Senate Caucus will hold its session with the NWC on December 17.
Shan stated that the meetings are crucial steps in “the consolidating efforts of the newly elected NWC to stabilize and chart a new course for the party flowing from the successful conduct of the just concluded 2025 elective National Convention of the party in Ibadan, Oyo State Capital.”
During the Wednesday engagement, the NWC will also officially present the Certificate of Return to Dr. Oluwole Oluyede, affirming him as the party’s flag-bearer for the upcoming Ekiti State governorship election scheduled for June 20, 2026.
In a related development, the PDP has appointed a high-powered 24-member Osun State Governorship Appeal Panel to review all appeals arising from the state’s recently concluded primary election ahead of the 2026 governorship poll.
The panel will be chaired by the new National Chairman, Tanimu Turaki, with Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja serving as Secretary.
The panel is scheduled to sit on Thursday, December 11, 2025, at the Bauchi Governors Lodge, Tatari Ali House, Asokoro, Abuja. The party explicitly mandated the panel to be “guided strictly by the PDP Constitution (2025 as amended), the Electoral Guidelines for Party Primary and Electoral Act, 2022.”
A political insider Peter Ameh has provided insights into the ongoing speculation surrounding the potential switch of the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, from the Labour Party (LP) to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
During his appearance on the MIC ON PODCAST, Ameh assured listeners that Obi is committed to remaining with the LP for the time being.
He also highlighted an existing understanding regarding a future transition. “He knows the plan and will announce it when the time is right,”
Ameh remarked, indicating that Obi’s decision will be made with careful timing and consideration.
Ameh elaborated that these discussions are part of a larger strategy to cultivate a more robust opposition coalition aimed at effectively challenging the ruling party in the upcoming 2027 elections.
He encouraged supporters to be patient and trust the process, emphasizing that any potential transition will be guided by thorough consultations and strategic planning. The focus will be on fostering national progress, unity, and credible leadership.
This insight hints at a significant potential shift in Nigeria’s political landscape, one that could facilitate meaningful change and provide voters with a strong alternative in the future.
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