Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has said that he is still a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) amid speculation that he resigned from the party.
Mr Fubara spoke on Wednesday in Rumuigbo Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state after inspecting the reconstructed Rivers State Psychiatric Hospital, which was remodelled into a general hospital.
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Speculation has been rife recently that Mr Fubara resigned from the APC and was also considering a switch to the National Democratic Congress.
The speculation began after Mr Fubara appeared to have been rejected by the APC Screening Committee for the governorship ticket.
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The governor reportedly walked out of the APC screening venue and refused to speak to journalists because of the committee’s reported rejection.
‘I remain a member ’
But speaking during the inspection of the reconstructed facility, Mr Fubara affirmed his membership of the APC.
“There’s a lot of drama in the media, from one story to another. I am a member of the All Progressives Congress and nothing has changed.
“People should stop using whatever situation they pick up from the media or their interpretation of the situation to present me wrongly,” the governor said.
“I have not gone anywhere. I am still a member of the All Progressives Congress and I remain a member.”
The governor maintained that he would continue to support the overall interest of the APC despite the “circumstances”.
Uncertainty over Fubara second term bid
With the APC governorship primary election fast approaching, the fate of Mr Fubara picking the party’s ticket to seek re-election in the Rivers governorship election next year hangs in the balance.
There are speculations that a former governor of Rivers State and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has vowed to block Mr Fubara’s second term bid.
The alleged move to block the governor’s second term bid followed a prolonged feud between him and Mr Wike which had triggered political crisis in Rivers.
During a media chat which was broadcast live by the Nigerian Television Authority and some other television stations last week, Mr Wike stated that he is not working with Mr Fubara.
The FCT minister stressed that he has yet to endorse anyone for the Rivers governorship election.
He then accused Mr Fubara of “slowing governance” in the state for allegedly refusing to present a budget to the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Meanwhile, Kingsley Chinda, an ally of the FCT minister, has been tipped to replace Governor Fubara, TheCable reported on Saturday.
Mr Chinda, minority leader of the House of Representatives, appeared before the screening committee of the APC ahead of the party’s governorship primaries in Rivers.
The lawmaker, who currently represents Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the national assembly, was screened on Saturday as an aspirant in the APC ahead of the 2027 Rivers governorship election.
His appearance before the APC panel has further fuelled speculation over a possible defection from the PDP to the ruling party, although he has yet to officially confirm any move.
Mr Chinda is among two prominent allies of Mr Wike, who obtained the APC governorship nomination forms for Rivers 2027 governorship poll.
The second aspirant is Dax George-Kelly, director-general of the Border Communities Development Agency.
READ ALSO: Rivers 2027: APC evasive over Fubara’s screening
Aside from his governorship ambition, Mr Fubara is also facing another hurdle after many of his loyalists aspiring for Rivers assembly seats were not screened for the APC primary election.
In contrast, loyalists of the FCT minister have been cleared for the primary.
Background
The relationship between Messrs Fubara and Wike hit a brick wall after the political crisis broke out over the control of the state’s political structure.
The crisis led to the declaration of emergency rule in Rivers by President Bola Tinubu in 2025, after three unsuccessful attempts to impeach Mr Fubara by Wike-backed assembly members.
But President Tinubu intervened repeatedly during which he brokered peace deal between the parties, including the June 2025 deal.
In December last year, the governor defected from the PDP to the APC.
The FCT minister had on several occasions accused the governor of failing to honour the agreement which they reached during the last peace deal.
