Fubara’s defection Would Make Him party leader instantly – APC

As Rivers State prepares for the end of emergency rule and a formal return to democratic governance on Thursday, the state chapter of The All Progressives Congress (APC) has expressed readiness to welcome suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara into its ranks.

Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, APC spokesperson in Rivers, Darlington Nwauju, said the party would “gladly receive” Governor Fubara if he chooses to defect from his current political platform.

“If I were the governor of Rivers State, on my return on Thursday, I would announce my defection to the All Progressives Congress,” Nwauju said. “I think the governor should join the APC,” he said.

When asked whether Fubara would assume leadership of the APC in Rivers State if he defects, Nwauju replied, “By the convention of our party, if he joins the All Progressives Congress, he becomes the leader of the party.”

Fubara, who is currently suspended, is expected to return from London ahead of the scheduled handover. President Bola Tinubu, who had been on vacation in France and the UK, is also set to return to Nigeria earlier than planned. Both leaders are expected back in the country on Tuesday.

The handover ceremony on Thursday will mark the end of the interim administration headed by Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd.), who has overseen Rivers State for the past six months following the declaration of emergency rule.

Commenting on Ibas’s administration, Nwauju noted that the APC had not yet demanded an official account of his stewardship.

“The budget approval he got was from the National Assembly. There’s a committee from the House of Representatives overseeing the emergency period. I expect that the committee will carry out due diligence and report their findings,” he said.