The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reacted to the defection of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, to the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing the move as “pitiful” and stating that the governor is responsible for his own political troubles.
In a statement on Tuesday, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, said the unfolding political crisis in Rivers State exposes deep flaws in Nigeria’s democracy, where powerful individuals allegedly deploy federal might against opponents instead of allowing institutions to function independently.
Governor Fubara confirmed his defection to the APC on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, a day after meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the State House in Abuja. The governor left the PDP alongside several appointees and supporters, claiming the party failed to offer him the protection he expected during months of political conflict in the state.
However, the PDP rejected this position, saying the governor walked willingly into the crisis.
The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party has received the news of the formal defection of Governor Siminalayi Fubara from our party to the ruling party. This news, as pitiful as it is, exemplifies the old legal maxim volenti non fit injuria—to one who is willing, no harm is done,” Ememobong said.
The party argued that Nigerians who followed the crisis from the beginning would recall that Fubara “willingly travelled the path that took him to this destination,” adding that he cannot now accuse the party or any group of abandoning him.
The PDP also cautioned Fubara against what it termed “Stockholm Syndrome,” describing it as a scenario in which a victim becomes emotionally attached to an oppressor.
Despite the criticism, the PDP said it harbours no ill will toward the governor, noting: “We pity the Governor and wish him well.”
The party used the opportunity to warn that Nigeria’s democracy is increasingly under threat, accusing the ruling APC of pushing the country toward a de facto one-party state.
Democracy is terribly threatened by acts of this kind,” the statement noted. “We reiterate to Nigerians and the global community that the ruling party’s unrelenting disposition toward a one-party state, and the constriction of political space, means democracy is under severe attack.”
Ememobong urged Nigerians and democratic institutions to unite in resisting what he called “the progressive decline of democratic norms.”
