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Defection Rumours Rise As Fubara Faces Mounting Assembly Fire

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"No Single-Term Deal For Fubara," Declares Ijaw Youth President

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.

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2027: ‘False Battle’ – APC Breaks Silence On Rift Between Wike, Governors

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed reports of a disagreement between its governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, insisting that both sides remain committed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, described the reported disagreement as a ‘false battle’.

He maintained that there was no genuine conflict between the minister and members of the Progressives Governors Forum.

Morka clarified this on Tuesday during an interview on Arise Television’s News Day, following Wike’s inclusion in the APC Presidential Campaign Council.

According to him, the governors and the FCT Minister share a common political objective of ensuring Tinubu’s victory in the next presidential election.

“It was a false battle to begin with. I mean, I don’t think there was any real tension between those positions because they united in their extraordinary commitment to the re-election of the president,” Morka said.

He noted that the Progressive Governors Forum comprised governors elected on the APC platform, while Wike, a former Rivers State governor, was a member of Tinubu’s cabinet and a vocal supporter of the President.

According to him, publication of the presidential campaign council list had also clarified the roles of those involved in Tinubu’s re-election campaign.

He said: “Governors, who are not of the APC, now [are] front and centre, coordinating some of our activities in their respective jurisdictions.”

Morka described the development as a new phase in Nigeria’s democratic politics, arguing that the President was bringing politicians from different parties together around a common objective.

The APC spokesperson claimed that the collaboration was unusual in a presidential system, stressing that Tinubu was transcending party differences by building a coalition of political actors to support his administration and re-election campaign.

He said: “We’re seeing a president who is transcending all of the divides and really nullifying what I call the politics of difference between these partisans and bringing them together under the same umbrella to pursue a common agenda for the good of the people.”

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Gunmen Kill NDC Member During Attack On Enugu Campaign Office

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The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Enugu State has confirmed the death of one of its members, Nworie Christopher, who was reportedly shot during an attack on the party’s campaign office in the Government Reserved Area of Enugu.

Daily Voice understands that Christopher, who hailed from Affa in Udi Local Government Area of the state, died from gunshot injuries sustained during the October 10, 2026, incident.

The party disclosed that the deceased was among its supporters allegedly attacked by armed thugs during a gathering at the campaign office of its governorship candidate, Christian Chinyeaka Ohaa.

According to the NDC, efforts by its leadership to save Christopher’s life were unsuccessful.

The party condemned the killing and called for the arrest and prosecution of those responsible.

Ohaa, on Tuesday, October 13, led a delegation to the bereaved family to commiserate with them.

The delegation included Chief Frank Omeje (Deputy Governorship Candidate), Engr. Ibuchukwu Obeta (State Chairman), Hon. Emmanuel Chukwujekwu Nebo (State Secretary), Prof. Uche Akubue, Hon. Emeke Okeke, and the State Women Leader.

In a statement by his media aide, Hon. Sampson Ukwu, he condemned the killing and described it as part of a dangerous escalation of political violence against the opposition in the state.

Ohaa said: “No election is worth a single drop of a citizen’s blood. Nworie Christopher went out to support a vision for a better Enugu. Today he is gone. His twin brother is left with an empty half of his world. His family is shattered.

“His mother is completely heartbroken. We will not be silenced by violence. We will not be intimidated. The blood of Nworie Christopher and all our injured members cries out for justice.”

The NDC described the attack as the latest in a series of violent incidents targeting its members, including an armed attack on a ward meeting at Obuoffia in Nkanu West on September 12, 2026, where eight members reportedly sustained gunshot injuries, as well as the tear-gassing, shooting, and brutalization of its supporters at the airport.

“This is no longer ordinary politics. It is a dangerous escalation that threatens the right of citizens to participate peacefully in the democratic process. A government that presides over repeated attacks on opposition gatherings while failing to deliver swift justice has a responsibility to explain to Ndi Enugu why the lives of opposition members appear less protected,” the party said.

The NDC called on the Inspector-General of Police and all relevant security agencies to conduct a thorough, independent, and transparent investigation into the October 10 attack and the earlier Obuoffia incident.

“All those who planned, sponsored, or carried out these attacks must be identified, arrested, and prosecuted without fear or favour,” the party demanded.

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JUST IN: Makinde Appoints New Chief of Staff After Ogunwuyi’s Resignation

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Makinde Laments As Ibadan Crash Claims 15 Lives

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has appointed Bashorun Akinwale Akinwole, popularly known as Wolekanle, as his new Chief of Staff, following the resignation of Segun Ogunwuyi.

Makinde also appointed Mrs Aderonke Adedayo, his Special Adviser on General Intervention and Donor Agencies, as Director-General of the Due Process Office.

The appointments were announced in letters signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Musibau Babatunde, on Monday.

Akinwole, a grassroots politician, previously served as Chairman of the Oyo State Local Government Service Commission.

Adedayo will combine her new responsibilities as Director-General of the Due Process Office with her existing role as Special Adviser on General Intervention and Donor Agencies.

Both appointments take immediate effect.

The governor congratulated the appointees and urged them to discharge their duties with loyalty, commitment and dedication to the service of Oyo State.

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