Former governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Tonye Cole, has said Governor Siminalayi Fubara aligned himself with what he described as a faction of the party in the state.

In a recent interview on Channels Television, Cole stated that the Emeka Beke-led group remains the legitimate leadership of the APC in Rivers.

Fubara defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC in December 2025, a move that was publicly welcomed by the national leadership of the party.

He was subsequently presented with his APC membership card by Tony Okocha, who leads a faction of the party in Rivers.

Reacting to the development, Cole said the governor made the “wrong” choice by joining the Okocha faction.

According to him, Fubara cannot be lawfully recognised as a member of the APC in Rivers until he aligns with the Beke-led faction.

Cole, however, noted that Fubara’s defection itself was a smart political decision that was broadly

“Who is welcoming him (Fubara) to the APC? Who is the one issuing him the membership card? Where is he registered under? Now, Tony Okocha is not a legally recognised faction of the APC, and that is where the problem is.

“Even though he (Fubara) is recognised nationally as a member of the APC, the group that has welcomed him is not legally recognised.

“He should come. We will recognise and welcome him because we have the legal standing to do so. He is not safe where he is.”

Cole warned that the APC must avoid a repeat of the 2019 election crisis, when a court barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the party’s candidates in Rivers State. (Vanguard)

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