NewStats: 3,265,166 , 8,185,862 topics. Date: Friday, 13 June 2025 at 05:38 PM 5o3959

Rivers Crisis: Pressures mount on Gov Fubara to dump PDP


On Thursday, the raging political crisis in Rivers statetook another interesting twist. The judgment of the Appeal Court in Abuja gave some degree of reprieve to Martins Amaewhule and his group of 26 Assembly .

The judgment sparked a wild jubilation in the camp of the former Governor and serving minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike. It gave the minister some edge over Governor Siminalayi Fubara in the ongoing political war of attrition. Wike’s ardent ers were seen dancing and jubilating all over the state based on their relative interpretations of the judgment. The ruling further choked the political system in Rivers and further ignited the raging political tension.

The Appeal court’s judge in the ruling held that the Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt lacked the jurisdiction to rule on the validity of the defection by Martins Amaewhule and his colleagues.

In its reaction to the judgment, G-60 Federal Opposition Lawmakers Coalition in the National Assembly argued that the Pro-Wike 27 sacked Rivers lawmakers remain sacked, their seats remaining vacant as the Appeal Court didn’t decide on the validity of their illegal decampment nor the declaration of their seats vacant. The Coalition’s spokesperson, Hon Ikenga Ugochinyere said the Appeal Court only declared that the Federal High Court was the appropriate court with jurisdiction to decide on the legality or illegality of decampment thereby ruling against the decision of the Rivers State High Court.

But Chief Tony Okocha, the caretaker committee chairman of APC in Rivers state responded that “Justice was served, the reasoning adduced by the venerated Justice of the Court of Appeal under which stood the bedrock of their unanimous decision, is very sound and unimpeachable”

Calls to exit PDP
In view of the raging imbroglio in the state, some persons sympathetic to the state Governor, Siminalyi Fubara, have suggested a defection from the PDP, following the obvious lack of from the leadership of the PDP both at the state and national levels despite the governor’s plight.

Franklin Ntekim, a political commentator in the state explained that with the seeming neglect of the Governor by the national leadership of the PDP, “it is obvious that he does not enjoy the of the party. It is also clear that the FCT minister must have won the party to himself and thereby made the PDP in the state to be toxic to the governor. I want him to leave the PDP. I also don’t see why the former Vice President and the Presidential candidate of the 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar has refused to visit the Governor in the face of the battles he is going through. It is very difficult to believe. It clearly shows a party that does not care for its own but dances to the whims and caprices of a single man”.

Solomon Lenu, a human rights activist was also in of the call for Fubara to exit the PDP.

According to him, “He (Fubara) cannot win any election in the state if he remains in the PDP to conduct the LG election in October. The state chairman of the PDP is the Minister’s loyalist. that he refused to attend the stakeholders meeting last Monday by the state electoral commission, RSIEC. My fear is that the party may not give the tickets to the Governor’s candidates for the election.

This is why the Governor should not hesitate to look elsewhere to save his political career”. On which party the governor should go to, the Convener of the Ogoni development Drive, ODD, said “SDP or Accord party may be okay. I will not want him to make a mistake of going to the Labor Party because its national leadership has been bought over by certain powerful forces in Abuja. The two parties mentioned earlier have a bit of popularity in the state. I would have preferred the Labor party, but that has been blocked by these forces”.

Recall that in April, 60 PDP lawmakers in the House of Representatives demanded the resignation of the party’s acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, for failing to address the political crisis in Rivers state. The 60 lawmakers led by the PDP member representing Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency, Imo State, Ikenga Ugochinyere, accused Damagum, of, among others, taking sides with Wike and working for the APC, a party that gave Wike the FCT ministerial appointment.

“Have Nigerians wondered why Damagum kept quiet while 27 of Rivers State House of Assembly elected on the platform of PDP left the party? He kept quiet while they were threatening to impeach a governor in his party. Nigerians will be shocked to hear that Umar Damagum was consulted and was fully aware of the entire details of the plot to impeach the Rivers State Governor, and he gave his approval to the plot, yet he refers to himself as a chairman of a party. The shamelessness in this entire episode is limitless”, Ugochinyere had alleged.


Diffusing the call for Governor’s defection, the director general of Simplified Movement, Governor Fubara’s grass root political group, Hon Evans Bapakaye Bipi, said “the governor is the leader of PDP in Rivers state. He has not given us the direction of where to go. Wherever he wants us to go, we will go there”, he said. Bipi. a former Chief Whip in the House of Assembly said the Appeal Court judgment was “fair”. He said that the Judge was right when he said that the High Court in Port Harcourt lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the case. “There was no declarative judgment. The Judge did not talk about defection. For now, we have two parallel Assembly”, Bipi said.


Responding to the call for Fubara’s defection, an elder statesman and leader of the pan-Niger Delta Elders forum, PANDEF, Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe said it was too early to start agitation for the governor to leave the PDP. “To me, the game is becoming clearer. But it is too early for that”.


Sara-Igbe, a one time security adviser to the Rivers state government said “if the governor is not comfortable with his party, he can leave. It is clear that the present leadership of the PDP is tilting towards another direction. Like I said, it is too early in the day. Let us wait and see how things unfold, maybe in 2027”.


Our doors are open—LP

The Rivers state chairman of the Labor Party, Hilda Dokubo said the doors of the party in the state were open for the Governor if he was willing to the party. “The Governor is a Nigerian citizen. He has every right to go wherever he wants to go. Whether he wants to come to our party or somewhere else, it is his inalienable choice. You cannot stay where you are not welcomed or appreciated. If he feels he is in a toxic situation, he should take a walk. Anywhere the Governor chooses to go, Rivers’ people will go with him. They will him. If he comes to my party, we will gladly welcome him”.

PDP has failed us in Rivers—Gov Fubara

Only last month, Governor Fubara took a swipe at the PDP when he said the party had failed the people of Rivers state. He stated that the party leadership had not played the role expected of it since the political crisis began. “In our state today, we are no longer doing party. We are doing a movement, so you don’t blame me if I don’t go to the side of the party too much. The party has failed us here, so what we are doing here is to stand with our two legs on the soil of Rivers State, so that we can defend democracy.”

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2024/07/rivers-crisis-pressures-mount-on-gov-fubara-to-dump-pdp/

PDP, always causing chaos and division, now pressuring Governor Fubara to abandon ship in face of Rivers state crisis. Shame on you!

Obi in Labour Party

Oh yes, because switching parties always guarantees a politicians competence and integrity.

Paper weight politicians succeeded in distroying FUBARA politically. FUBARA can't defect to APC comrade WIKE will still flog him with koboko . Going to labour party Dead on arrival again 🤣🤣

Righthussle:
Obi in Labour Party

and you think he can defeat PDP+APC in rivers state

Gov Fubara, na only God go punish you if you no dump PDP wey dey do anyhow for Rivers, abeg wake up and smell the corruption!

Looks like Gov Fubara is feeling the heat to jump ship from PDP, but can he handle the hot waters of the Rivers crisis?

Yes defection is an option for Fubara but he shouldnt do it now, so he doesnt run into legal troubles like the house of Assembly .

He should wait towards the end of his tenure, he will buy form for a lot of people in PDP primaries for his candidate to emerge then he will switch over to LP.
Rivers State is already naturally an LP state.

Incumbent is an incumbent.

He wins whether I'm PDP or any other party

Then his seat will be declared vacant. Always acting with emotions. He should sit down and go back to the drawing board.
Even the governor of Kogi state a first timer is far better than Fubara
The same group that pushed him to this this point, still want to push him to political oblivion.

PDP is a useless party

Wike is not a mature man.

He should leave ASAP, he will come a distance 4th or 5th if he decides to contest

COMRADES, Fubara is a brave man, he isn't going anywhere from PDP

He'll emerge victorious in the end

Dump PDP and his seat will also be declared vacant.... simple

He can plant his preferred candidates in labour party Incase the PDP deny his choice candidates the tickets

A very simple game

The nigerian judicial system is messed up sha because how can you say that a state high court lacks the jurisdiction to hear a case concerning state house of assembly embers,I just tire for our constitution and judiciary,of it was to be a federal law maker,then I will understand,but these guys are state law makers.

Righthussle:
Obi in Labour Party

You want him to jump from the frying pan into the fire.

The only thing he would do is to run to APC for protection from Wike. Only APC can get Wike off his back. It's obvious PDP have failed to protect him. PDP is a big for nothing party.

Mercenary123:
PDP is a useless party

I agree. Even his fellow PDP governors are on Wike's side.

He should LP

If he s APC he will meet Wike there
If he stays in PDP Wike still has the balls of PDP leadership gripped in his hands
If he s Labour party, he might start labouring in vain, there is no even peace in the party.
APGA? Even those who started APGA ran away, so I will not advise him to APGA.

Perhaps he should form his own party.
Better still since Nigerians claims they no longer vote for political party but personality, I'll suggest he s Sowore's AA and build together.
Who knows he might be the Presidential candidate of AA one day and contest against Wike in APC, because obviously it is matter of time before Wike show us his APC hip card.

Na wa oh, e be like say Governor Fubara don dey see say PDP no be party wey get sense, e fit dump dem sef.

Abegi, make Governor Fubara no fall for PDP's noise, him fit do better for Rivers State if he dump dem.

Honestly, PDP has not been fair to him. But I'll advise him to try and build a solid foundation before dumping PDP. Anywhere SIM goes, I go.

Righthussle:
Obi in Labour Party

When the man no be mumu man.

He is going to lost everything if he does that.

Politician is not a mature man.

He's an orphan,

... politically

Righthussle:
Obi in Labour Party

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Labour Party in Rivers state? Don’t be deceived by the presidential votes. That state only has two powerful sides. PDP and APC.

Both parties have working machines and structures. Fubara’s resignation is more honorable than ing Labour Party

Naan wey hold cutlass dey win

That's their game.plan but they've failed. I knew this from the onset. How do you expect him to betray the people who put him there through their votes, cos of a minority corrupt group? Apc is operating like a cult. Rivers will take care of the apc. I trust them

it is crystal clear now dat our so-called judiciary is one of our very big problem in dis useless corn3 apart from d gidigba-mandate standers werey dem!