Members of a faction of the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party have thrown their weight behind Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, declaring him the leader of the party in the state.
The NWC members expressed solidarity with Fubara on Wednesday in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers, during their visit to him.
The NWC delegation included Debo Ologunagba, the PDP spokesperson, and Ahmed Mohammed, the national treasurer.
Mohammed, who spoke after meeting with the Governor, disclosed that the PDP is strategising to regain power in 2027.
He said, “From Rivers to the national level, we are working together, and the governor is the leader of the PDP in Rivers state as it is the policy of the PDP that every sitting governor is the leader of the party.
“So, invariably, the Governor of Rivers state is the leader of the PDP. We came to visit our leader and to assure him that we were 100 percent with him.
“The essence of the visit is to assure Nigerians that the PDP is coming together and trying to see that in May 2027, the PDP takes over governance in Nigeria.”
The PDP NWC is reportedly divided, with Mohammed and Ologunagba leading one faction, while the other members are aligning with the Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum.
Last week, a Rivers State High Court nullified the congresses conducted by the PDP in the state in August 2024.
The congresses, held in the 319 wards and 23 LGAs, were reportedly backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Fubara and Wike are at loggerheads over the control of the PDP machinery in the state.
Ologunagba would later issue a statement saying the PDP NWC had accepted the court ruling.
Barely a day later, Ibrahim Abdullahi, PDP deputy spokesperson, countered Ologunagba’s statement, describing it as a “calculated falsehood”.
Ibrahim, who claimed that he was directed by Damagum to dismiss Ologunagba’s statement, said the party’s spokesperson was not authorised to speak on the judgment.