The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced its readiness to work with Governor Siminalayi Fubara upon his reinstatement to office on 18 September.
The party emphasised, however, that this collaboration would not prevent it from holding the governor accountable on matters of governance.
The state APC Chairman, Chief Tony Okocha, made the declaration during a news briefing in Port Harcourt on Tuesday. He assured that the APC would continue to strengthen its membership base while offering constructive criticism once Governor Fubara returns.
“The governor who was suspended will return to office on September 18. The APC will work with him when he returns,” Okocha stated. “There are states where the governor and assembly members are in different parties, so we are going to work with him.”
He added, “However, that will not take away our right to criticise him when he does wrong. But for us, the LG chairmen will work with him, except that we will not agree to vicious policies.”
Okocha described the recent local government elections in the state as a prelude to the 2027 general elections. He revealed that the APC deliberately avoided fielding candidates in strongholds of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), such as Obio/Akpor, Port Harcourt City, and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGAs, and instead concentrated on areas where it had a comparative advantage.
“It was our own calculated strategy not to field candidates in those LGAs and concentrate only where we have a comparative advantage. Remember that Rivers State was a PDP state,” Okocha explained.
Expressing optimism about the party’s growth, he contrasted its current position with its status during the 2023 elections, noting, “In 2023, APC in Rivers State had no shoes. Now we are wearing psychedelic shoes.”
He also took aim at the PDP, claiming the party was collapsing and losing members to the APC. “PDP is in tatters and people are leaving them in droves for other parties, and we’re privileged to have them,” Okocha said.
Governor Fubara was suspended from office by President Bola Tinubu on 18 March after declaring a state of emergency in Rivers State amid rising political tensions. The president accused Fubara of failing to curb attacks on oil facilities by militants allegedly sympathetic to the governor.
Tinubu subsequently appointed former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), as Administrator of the state for an initial six-month period. Last Saturday, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, stated that with the conclusion of the local government elections, the path was clear for Fubara’s reinstatement.
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