The political power play in Rivers State is hindering the formal reception of Governor Siminalayi Fubara into the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Weekend Trust has been reliably informed.
Fubara had on December 9, 2025 announced his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), his former party and joined the APC.
When he made the declaration, the governor was welcomed and there was jubilation in the state that he had finally shaken off the grip of his godfather by moving to the ruling party.
The chairman of the APC in the state, Chief Tony Okocha subsequently presented the party registration card to the governor, bearing 001, on the directive of the party’s national chairman, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda.
Weekend Trust, however, reports that unlike the practice in the party, where key figures, including sitting governors who join from other political parties, are received with a grand reception, the APC leadership is yet to receive Governor Fubara.
The reception is always held in a grand style, with Vice President Kashim Shettima, sitting governors of the party, national leadership of the party and eminent APC personalities visiting the states to welcome the governor.
Interestingly, other governors who defected to the APC months after Governor Fubara did, have all been received into the party by the vice president and other dignitaries.
Weekend Trust recalls that the four governors that defected after Fubara – Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State, Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa, Muftwang Caleb of Plateu State and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara – have all been formally received into the party.
Why reception is important
Political analysts have said the event is very important as it would signal to the world that the governor has finally been accepted in the party and is assuming his rightful place as one of its leaders. They said that without the reception, some people would not accord the governor the respect he deserves and would continue to see him as a gatecrasher.
“It is like a wedding. When you marry someone and pay the dowry, you still have to organise a reception to tell the whole world that ‘this is my wife.’ Without that, many would not believe that you have done all that is required, so Fubara needs to be welcomed with a reception,” he said.
Political pundits in Rivers State told our correspondent that the disagreement between the governor and his predecessors, the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, may be delaying the reception.
President Bola Tinubu, last month intervened in the Rivers political crisis and peace seems to have returned, but both the governor and the Wike camp are treading with caution and keeping their plans close to their chests.
It was gathered that Governor Fubara joined the APC without informing his predecessor; hence the power play that ensures that he does not control structures in the party.
Our correspondent found that organising the reception would be a problem for the APC because it might send the wrong signal to the people of the state.
A source close to the APC in the state said that once a reception is held and all the dignitaries of the party come to the state and Wike is not there, it would look as if the governor had been recognised as the sole leader of the party in the state; and they don’t want that to happen.
“Another thing is that the governor must be allowed to make a speech; and he can say things that might escalate the crisis in the state, while other dignitaries would be compelled to speak of him in glowing terms, and this will annoy the FCT minister,” the source said.
Another reliable source told Weekend Trust that with the way things are going, and with the full grip Wike has in both the APC and PDP structures in the state, it would be difficult for Fubara to do anything without the consent of the minister.
He said: “The governor is not in control of APC structures; the power play has already overwhelmed him. How can a governor who defected since December not be received into the party four months after? It is a calculated scheme to oust him come 2027.”
Fubara’s supporters feel disrespected
Reacting to the development, some stakeholders in the state urged the APC leadership to formally receive the governor in order to give the people confidence in the party.
A political stakeholder in the state, Chief Chris Finebone, said it was his hope that APC would formally welcome the governor at the right time. He said the delay in welcoming the governor might not have anything to do with the misunderstanding the governor had with the FCT minister, but could be due to the busy schedule of the party.
He said Rivers people were anxiously waiting to see that APC national leadership welcome their governor the same way other governors were welcome into the party.
“I believe that at the right time, the governor would be received. It does not have anything to do with the misunderstanding the governor has with the FCT minister.
“You know the APC has never ruled Rivers State up till now, so they have to give the people the hope that the party is now theirs. And how can they do that? It is by coming to welcome the governor in a rally, just like they do in other states,” he said.
Also speaking, an indigene of the state, Comrade David-West Benewarie, said whether the party leadership formally welcomes the governor or not, he is already a registered member of the party, and as such, will boost the confidence of Rivers people in the party come 2027.
“I remember that the vice president went to Yenagoa to receive Governor Douye Diri. They held a ceremony, received him and officially made a pronouncement that he was the leader of the party in the state.
“In the case of Governor Fubara, well, the party at the national level will know best. It appears the influence of the FCT minister might also be a play here because the idea that the governor must not come for a second tenure is still there.
“The national chairman of the party who knows what having a governor is, needs to officially do the same thing to also receive him,” he said.
He said if the governor is not officially received into the party, it may affect the APC chances in Rivers State in the 2027 general elections because there would be divergent opinions.
He said the party at the national level, in everything they are doing, should know that Governor Fubara is a member of the party, while the FCT minister is just working for the APC but not officially a member of the party.
Also speaking on the matter, a political analyst, Fyneface Dumnamene, linked the inability of the APC to formally receive the governor to the political crisis in Rivers State.
He said: “We recall that the governor had said that why he was leaving the PDP was because the party never cared about him throughout the travails, but now, having defected from the PDP to the APC, it also seems that the governor is not welcome to the party.
“I think the political crisis in the state is making it difficult for them to speak with one voice to plan the event. I think the days ahead would have so much to tell, whether the governor would be received or not. But it will definitely happen before the end of this year, ahead of 2027.
Nobody knows for how long the governor would be kept in suspense, but going by the mood in the state, the more the reception of the governor is delayed, the more his confidence in the party is eroded.
Reacting to the development, the chairman of the APC in the state, Tony Okocha, said it was not the responsibility of the state leadership to arrange for the governor’s reception, but the national leadership
“There is nothing to say, it is not a state matter. It is a national issue. It is the national leadership that will receive him.
A call to the APC spokesperson, Barrister Felix Morka, on the development yesterday night was not answered.
However, a source at the party’s national secretariat said no decision has been taken on that matter. He said the arrangement ought to have been made at the state level and then communicated to the party at the national level.
“As far as the party is concerned, Governor Fubara is our member, whether he is formally received or not. There is no where it is stated in our constitution that such ceremony should be held for decampees. It is just a tradition,’’ the source said.
He added that the political situation in Rivers State is being handled carefully by the relevant stakeholders including the president.
(Daily Trust)
