Defection rumours rise as Fubara faces fresh political turbulence

Speculation is mounting that Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State may soon dump the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the All Progressives Congress, APC, following fresh political turbulence in the state

On Friday, 17 members of the House of Assembly loyal to former governor Nyesom Wike 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, speaking to The Punch, 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.”

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