APC Chairman Confirms Fubara as Party Leader in Rivers, Backs Governor’s Second-Term Bid
“APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda confirms Governor Siminalayi Fubara as the party leader in Rivers State and pledges support for his second-term bid if he emerges through APC primaries.”
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has clarified that Governor Siminalayi Fubara is the recognised leader of the party in Rivers State.
Yilwatda made the clarification on Friday night while speaking on Channels Television’s news and current affairs programme, “Hard Copy.”
According to the APC national chairman, the position is clearly stipulated in the APC Constitution, which recognises governors of party-controlled states as leaders of the party in their respective states without exception.
“In all the states, we have the state governors that lead the party in their respective states,” Yilwatda said.
He, however, stressed that while governors hold leadership positions within the party, they are expected to promote inclusiveness by carrying all stakeholders along. He noted that Governor Fubara has already demonstrated this commitment in Rivers State.
“At the same time, we tell the governors who have leaders at the national level to respect inclusion,” he added.
On the issue of Governor Fubara’s second-term ambition, Yilwatda stated that the APC would support and work for the governor’s re-election if he emerges as the party’s candidate through a credible primary election conducted by duly accredited delegates.
“If Siminalayi emerges as the candidate of the APC in Rivers State, I will stand by him,” the APC chairman said.
Yilwatda’s remarks come amid growing speculation over who controls the leadership structure of the APC in Rivers State following recent political realignments.
Governor Fubara formally joined the APC in December after announcing his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), citing his decision to align fully with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Explaining his move, the governor said his political survival was closely tied to the president’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,” he said.
Fubara further declared that genuine support for the president must go beyond symbolic gestures.
“Let nobody be fooled in this state; we have the people, we have the supporters. Our only way of saying thank you to Mr President is to support him, and we cannot support the president in isolation,” he said.
“We cannot support the president if we do not fully identify with him—not backyard support. So, we have taken that decision today. Since we have gotten the pass, everyone who has followed me and suffered with me, our decision this evening is that we are moving to the APC,” the governor added.
