Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He announced this at a stakeholders meeting at the government house in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.

Fubara said he decided to leave the PDP to support President Bola Tinubu of the APC, saying that he would have become a former governor without Tinubu’s support.

“The reason why we are still standing is because of that place, and the truth is, without Mr President, there wouldn’t be any His Excellency Siminalayi Fubara; it would have been the former governor.

“So, we have every reason because the truth, let nobody be fooled in this state, we have the people, we have the supporters. Our only thank-you to Mr President is to support him, and we cannot support the President in isolation"

“We cannot support the President if we don’t fully identify with him, not backyard support. So, we have taken that decision today since we have gotten the pass. Everyone here who had followed me, who had suffered with me, our decision today, this evening, we are moving to APC,” Fubara said.

His defection came four days after the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and 17 others dumped the PDP for the APC on December 5.

The lawmakers had blamed their departure from the PDP on the crisis in the party.

Others who dumped the PDP were the Deputy Speaker, Dumle Maol (Gokana), Major Jack (Akuku-Toru), Linda Stewart (Okrika), Franklin Nwabochi (Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni), Azeru Opara (Port Harcourt 3), Smart Adoki (Port Harcourt 2), Enemi George (Asari-Toru 2), and Solomon Wami (Port Harcourt 1).

Also included were Igwe Aforji (Eleme), Tekena Wellington (Asari-Toru 1), Looloo Opuende (Akuku-Toru 2), Peter Abbey (Degema), Arnold Dennis (Ogu/Bolo), Chimezie Nwankwo (Etche), Gerald Oforji (Oyigbo) and Ofiks Kabang (Andoni).

Following the departure of the Speaker and other key members of the House of Assembly, there were reports of mounting pressure on the governor to move to the ruling APC.

The oil-rich South-South region had been a stronghold of the PDP since 1999, but the party’s defeat to the APC in the 2015 presidential election prompted a realignment that forced political heavyweights, including governors, to join the ruling party.

Before his defection, Fubara was the only governor on the platform of the PDP in the South-South region, following the recent defection of governors Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta) and Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom) to the APC in April and June, respectively.

Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State dumped the PDP in November, but has yet to officially join another party.