APC backs Fubara’s second term bid amid rift with Wike

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has formally thrown its weight behind Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, urging voters to back him and President Bola Tinubu in future elections, a move widely seen as cementing the governor’s standing within the ruling party and redrawing the political map of the South-south.

Speaking during a party engagement in Rivers, APC National Secretary Ajibola Basiru described Fubara’s alignment with the APC as a strategic gain for both the governor and the party, calling on supporters to reward the administration with “massive votes” at the polls.

Basiru said sustained electoral support was the clearest way to strengthen the party’s grip on the state and boost Tinubu’s re-election prospects.

“I congratulate our governor, I congratulate our party because when the governor is doing well, it simply means that our party is doing well,” Mr Basiru said.

“But the only way you can compensate the governor, compensate our party people of Rivers State, is to continue to vote for our party, the APC, in all elections.”

Fubara’s recent defection has placed all South-south states under APC control for the first time, marking a decisive break from the region’s long-standing loyalty to the Peoples Democratic Party.

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The move followed months of political turbulence in Rivers, including a prolonged standoff between the governor and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, which fractured the state legislature and culminated in a presidentially declared state of emergency.

Within the APC, the governor’s switch is being treated as more than symbolic. Party leaders have increasingly projected Fubara as the political anchor of Rivers State, signalling early support for a second-term bid ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The endorsement aligns with earlier claims by senior party figures that defecting governors could be granted automatic return tickets.

Analysts say the APC’s public embrace of Fubara also raises questions about Wike’s future influence in Rivers politics. With the ruling party consolidating around the incumbent governor, the balance of power appears to be tilting away from the former governor, setting the stage for a major political realignment in the state.