RismadarVoice Reporters
February 9, 2026
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has explained why Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, who recently defected to the party, is yet to be formally received.
Speaking on Sunday, APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, said the delay was a deliberate political strategy aimed at managing regional sensitivities, particularly in northern states.
Yilwatda said the party prioritised formal receptions in the North ahead of the South due to the approaching Ramadan period.
“We have Kano which we’re preparing for. When you’re dealing in politics, we opted to clear the North first because Ramadan is coming and most of the people in the North are Muslims,” he said.
He explained that several northern communities are sensitive to political activities during Ramadan, prompting the party to schedule receptions in the region first.
“So we pleaded that we clear the northern Governors who have to come to the APC first before going to the South, where we don’t have Ramadan as an issue,” Yilwatda added.
The APC chairman stressed that the delay had nothing to do with Fubara’s authority or standing within the party.
“It has nothing to do with Siminalayi Fubara not having authority,” he said.
Responding to claims that Fubara was struggling to assert control as the APC leader in Rivers State, Yilwatda dismissed the suggestion and challenged critics to provide evidence of any internal complaint.
“I’m the national chairman. Who complained to you? What petition? Give me one petition,” he said.
He warned against what he described as speculative reporting, insisting that no formal complaint had been lodged against the Governor.
“When somebody has not complained and we’ve not seen a physical petition, the media should not create a petition and become the petitioner, the judge and the jailer at the same time,” Yilwatda stated.
Addressing comments attributed to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, about political actors in Rivers State rallying under President Bola Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda, the APC chairman said such groups were not part of the party’s official structure.
“Support groups are separate from party activities,” he said.
Fubara’s defection to the APC on December 9, 2025, followed a prolonged political crisis in Rivers State stemming from his fallout with his predecessor, Wike, after the 2023 elections.
The crisis, marked by factional struggles and impeachment threats, at one point led President Bola Tinubu to declare a six-month state of emergency in the state.
While Fubara’s move to the APC is widely viewed as part of his strategy to consolidate power and seek re-election in 2027, Wike, who remains a dominant political force in Rivers despite not being an APC member has publicly disputed claims that the defection automatically confers party leadership on the Governor.
