FCT, Abuja – Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, said he decided to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) to express gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Reports that Fubara dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the ruling APC, following months of political tension in the state, and marks a significant realignment within Rivers’ politics.
Governor Sim Fubara says he joined APC to thank President Bola Tinubu
Governor Sim Fubara says he joined the APC to develop Rivers State and Nigeria at large.
Fubara claimed that his defection to the ruling APC was not driven by political pressure. The governor explained that aligning with the APC was a natural step for him.
As reported by Daily Trust, Fubara stated this while speaking with journalists on Thursday, December 18, 2025, at the APC national headquarters in Abuja.
He explained that it was a straightforward transition to say “thank you” to President Tinubu for his role during the political crisis in Rivers State.
“My joining the All Progressives Congress is to say thank you to Mr President and to join hands with other progressives to develop my state and Nigeria at large. It wasn’t a difficult decision; it was easy.”
According to Fubara, he had always identified with progressive ideals, even while he was in the PDP.
Fubara said he was never fully integrated into the PDP’s internal structure.
“If I have to be honest, was I really a member of the PDP? I wasn’t. Whatever I suffered during the political crisis, about 90 per cent of it was imposed on me by the party. I was just there in name. During the crisis, I wasn’t part of any group. I was on the balcony, not inside the house.”
Governor Sim Fubara reveals major reason he joined APC from PDP
Governor Sim Fubara says he joined the APC to thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Fubara shares amount Ibas left behind
Recall that Fubara disclosed that his administration met about ₦600 billion in Rivers state’s coffers after the emergency rule.
He said over ₦300 billion had been reserved before the emergency period and pledged full financial transparency within six months.
The governor commissioned the 14.2-kilometre Obodhi–Ozochi Road and approved additional internal road projects.
Also reported that months after a peace deal between Governor Fubara and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, Rivers state politics is still tense due to disagreements over the composition of the new cabinet.
Wike’s camp reportedly seeks significant influence in commissioner appointments, while Fubara retains his key loyalists.
Tinubu had in June 2025, brokered a peace deal between Fubara and Wike after a closed-door reconciliation meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
