The All Progressives Congress has explained why the newly-defected Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has not yet been officially welcomed into the party.

Speaking on TVC on Sunday, APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, said the delay is part of a strategic plan to manage regional sensitivities, particularly in northern states.

Explaining the party’s schedule of formal receptions, Yilwatda said, “We have Kano we’re preparing for. When you’re dealing in politics, we opted to clear the north first because Ramadan is coming and most of the people in the north are Muslims.

“We have a lot of communities in the north that are sensitive to the issue of Ramadan. So we pleaded that we clear the northern governors who have to come to the APC first before going to the south, where we don’t have Ramadan as an issue.”

He emphasised that the delay has nothing to do with Fubara lacking authority.

“So these are strategies and also acknowledge the sensitivity of each community. That’s the reason we took that decision. It has nothing to do with Siminalayi Fubara not having authority,” he added.

When asked about claims that Fubara appeared unable to assert control as the APC leader in Rivers State, Yilwatda challenged the premise of the question, demanding evidence of any internal complaint.

“Is that what you’re told? I’m the national chairman. Who complained to you? What petition? I want you to give me one petition. Has he complained to you?

“When somebody has not complained, and we’ve not seen a physical petition, the media should not create a petition. And they become the petitioners, the judge, and the jailer at the same time,” he said.

When the interviewer referenced comments by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, about political actors in Rivers State uniting under President Bola Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda, Yilwatda said such support groups were separate from the APC’s official structures.

“Support groups are separate from party activities. Is it under the office of the chairman of the party?” he said.

The political backdrop to the questions around Fubara’s leadership stems from a long-running crisis in Rivers State.

Fubara’s relationship with his predecessor, Wike, collapsed after their 2023 power struggle, which at one point prompted President Bola Tinubu to declare a six-month state of emergency in the state.

Fubara formally defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the APC on December 9, 2025, a realignment widely seen as part of his bid for a second term in 2027 and an effort to consolidate support after his fallout with Wike.

However, Wike, who remains a powerful political figure in Rivers despite not being an APC member, has publicly challenged the notion that Fubara’s defection automatically makes him party leader in the state, arguing that grassroots control and party structures — which his supporters still occupy in parts — determine leadership.

The dynamic has fuelled a broader political crisis, with rival factions within the APC and PDP in Rivers engaging in impeachment moves, negotiations and efforts to stabilise the situation ahead of the 2027 elections. (PUNCH)

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