The Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused Governor Siminalayi Fubara of betraying the party and the people of the state by defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC) amid the ongoing political crisis in Rivers.
The allegation was made on Thursday in Port Harcourt by Dr Nname Ewor, a factional Caretaker Chairman of the PDP in the state, during a news conference.
Ewor recalled that the rift between Fubara and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly began less than a year after the governor assumed office, eventually plunging the state into a prolonged political crisis.
He claimed that President Bola Tinubu intervened to resolve the impasse, adding that part of the peace agreement was that Fubara would not seek a second term in office. According to him, the governor was also required to reinstate Chief Ohna Awuse as Chairman of the Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council.
Ewor further alleged that other conditions of the agreement included the removal of Tammy Danagogo as Secretary to the State Government and Edison Ehie as Chief of Staff, but accused Fubara of failing to honour the terms.
He said the alleged breach of the agreement led to the collapse of the peace process and the subsequent declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State by President Tinubu.
The PDP chieftain also claimed that another agreement was reached between Fubara and Tinubu shortly before the emergency rule was lifted, a development he said eventually culminated in the governor’s defection to the APC.
According to Ewor, after announcing his defection, Fubara allegedly boasted that President Tinubu would compel members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to pass the 2026 budget and also force the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to support his second-term re-election bid.
He called on the governor to publicly disclose the terms of any agreement reached with the President before the emergency rule was lifted, insisting that Rivers people deserved transparency.
“The mandate Fubara is holding was given to him by the people of Rivers State, and all his actions and inactions affect those whose mandate he holds,” Ewor said. “It is therefore incumbent on him to tell Rivers people the terms of the peace agreement he entered into before the emergency rule was lifted, so they can make informed decisions.”
Ewor also recalled that the PDP had challenged the declaration of emergency rule at the Supreme Court in a bid to protect its mandate, adding that Fubara had now “taken that mandate” to the APC.
He further accused the governor of deceiving party leaders into attending the PDP convention in Ibadan while he stayed away, an issue he said was currently before the court.
Ewor disclosed that he had aligned himself with calls by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for the re-election of President Tinubu in the 2027 general election.
