The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Rivers State chapter, Tony Okocha, has cautioned the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Sim Fubara, on the possibility of defecting to the party.
Okocha said Fubara can’t join the APC through the back door, and must go through the laid down procedures.
Speaking on Saturday, 14 June, 2025 in Port Harcourt, the state capital, Okocha said Fubara must join the APC from the ward level.
“Just like every other Nigerian, he is at liberty to join any political party. That is the law. But, I say anybody, not restricted to the governor, the suspended governor anyway, anybody who wants to join the APC should enter the party through the door, not through the window.
“You have to go to your ward to enroll because your name as a member of the party cannot be found at the national secretariat except it comes from your ward. That is the proper door, that is the proper process,” the APC chairman said
Fubara is currently serving a six month suspension following a state of emergency declared in the state by President Bola Tinubu in March.
Okocha
Tinubu suspended Fubara, his deputy, and all members of the State House of Assembly due to the political crisis in the state.
The President appointed a Sole Administrator to preside over the state during the period of his suspension.
The crisis began shortly after Fubara became governor, following a disagreement with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over the control of political resources in the state.
The crisis quickly degenerated into the bombing of the State House of Assembly and the sponsoring of the factionalization of the legislative arm in the state.
Despite Tinubu’s intervention for peace, the crisis persisted, and to prevent it from snowballing into a security outbreak, the President suspended the governor.
Since his suspension, Fubara has met with Tinubu and Wike in an effort to reconcile with all relevant stakeholders in the state.
