Rivers State’s political landscape has entered a new phase of realignment following a wave of high-profile defections and public endorsements for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
On Friday, December 5, 2025, 16 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, formally defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The lawmakers cited persistent internal crises and deepening factionalisation within the PDP as the reason for their exit.
Before announcing their defection, the lawmakers passed a vote of confidence on President Tinubu, pledging unwavering support for his 2027 bid.
Further strengthening the APC’s momentum, 22 out of the 23 local government chairmen in the state, under the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), along with their ward councillors, also declared support for Tinubu’s second-term bid on Monday, December 8.
The only exception was the chairman of Opobo/Nkoro LGA, the home local government of the state governor.
According to The PUNCH, in the last LGA elections conducted under Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.)—now an ambassador-designate—the APC secured 20 LGAs, while the PDP won three.
Commenting on the unfolding political developments, former House of Representatives member who represented Etche-Omuma Federal Constituency, Chief Ogbonna Nwuke, told The PUNCH that Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s defection to the APC appears increasingly likely:
“Given the political developments in the South-South, Fubara’s defection seems probable.”
The series of defections and endorsements continues to reshape Rivers State’s political alignment, signalling heightened activity ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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