Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Wednesday night presented an account of his political journey, declaring that he was never truly a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, despite having operated under its platform.
Fubara made the assertion during a maiden visit to the national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Abuja, where he formally defected to the ruling party.
He described the move as a natural progression rather than a dramatic political shift, insisting that he had always been a progressive at heart.
Reflecting on his experience in the PDP, the governor said he was largely isolated during periods of internal crisis, a situation that made him question whether he genuinely belonged to the party.
“If I have to be honest, was I really a member of the PDP? I wasn’t. Whatever I suffered during the political crisis, 90 per cent of it was imposed on me by the party,” he said.
He added that throughout the crisis, he was not identified with any faction within the party.
“I was in my former party, just there. During the crisis, you can’t associate me with any group. I was just, let me say, at the balcony. I wasn’t inside the house. I was outside, at the balcony,” Fubara stated.
The governor described his decision to join the APC as one of the easiest he had made in his political life, noting that it was driven by gratitude and shared purpose rather than pressure.
“I think my transition was one of the easiest things I have done in my life. I call it easy because saying thank you is very simple. Showing appreciation and gratitude is easy,” he said.
According to him, his move to the APC was also a gesture of appreciation to President Bola Tinubu.
“My joining the Progressive 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. If you know my story, you should understand that,” he added.
Explaining the reason for his visit to the party headquarters, Fubara said it was important to understand the internal workings and leadership structure of the APC.
“I can’t belong to a house without first coming into the house and understanding how it is arranged. I felt it would be proper for me to visit the National Secretariat today to familiarise myself with the members and the operations. This way, when I come here next time, it won’t feel as if I am a new person,” he said.
He assured the party leadership of his readiness to work collectively for the growth of the APC, linking the party’s success directly to the performance of President Tinubu.
“I am here this evening to assure you that I have come in, and we will work together to ensure that this party becomes greater than it is. The greatness we all desire from this party is the success of Mr President. We cannot grow or expand if Mr President is not succeeding,” Fubara said.
He noted that Rivers State was already showing “evidence of success” through ongoing projects and the growing number of people openly affirming their support.
The governor further pledged to make Rivers State a strong base for the ruling party.
“Because you are standing with Mr President, we are now standing with Mr President. This evening, on behalf of the good people of Rivers State, my supportive members of the National Assembly, and members of the State Assembly who are with us, I can assure you that your new home is Rivers State,” he declared.
In his concluding remark, Fubara said his visit marked the completion of a process.
“I have come to my father’s house to see how it is. I am now in my father’s house, but it will also be proper for the father to come to his son’s house so that the people of Rivers State will know that this is truly a complete process,” he said.
Speaking further at the APC headquarters, the governor said his defection should not be seen as ideological inconsistency.
“When you say a new member of the Progressives, that is correct, but I have always been a progressive at heart. We now have a direction. Maybe before we didn’t have a leader or a governor as the head of the party. Now that I am a member, I will ensure that I bring everybody together for more unity and progress of the party in the state,” he said.
Responding on behalf of the APC leadership, Senator Ajibola Basiru, who conveyed the position of the National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, welcomed Fubara and described his entry into the party as a significant boost, particularly for the South South.
“As a party, we are very happy that you have decided to join because, with your orientation, you are progressive and true. Of course, you complete the circle for us in the South South region,” Basiru said, noting that the zone had now become the first fully controlled by the APC.
Basiru argued that dominance in the southern region was critical to national political strength.
“If you have the South in any political party, I think the strength and the energy of that political party are more than half the power,” he said.
He added that the party’s strength had grown significantly with Fubara’s entry.
“The strength of our party, if it was at Power 15 before, is now much better. It has become Power 100,” he stated.
Dismissing criticisms circulating on social media, Basiru said electoral victories were not won online but through organisation and discipline.
“Elections are not won on Twitter or in the pages of newspapers. Elections and politics are very serious business,” he said, describing President Tinubu as both a capable administrator and a seasoned political leader.
Basiru expressed confidence in the party’s future, asserting that APC’s internal system of democratic centralism, guided by clear values and policy direction, positioned it well ahead of future contests.
He added that the party was deliberately working to build a broad national platform.
“What we are trying to create is a pan Nigerian political party. We are trying to create what has been lacking in the trajectory of development of Nigeria. We are trying to create an elite consensus for development and progress,” he said.