Opposition lawmakers in Nigeria have defended suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, over speculations that he may defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), arguing that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should bear the blame for allegedly betraying him.
Their position follows Fubara’s recent visit to President Bola Tinubu in Lagos, which has fueled rumours of an imminent defection.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by their spokesperson, Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, the lawmakers accused PDP of undermining its own governor by ceding political control to former Governor Nyesom Wike, who now serves as a minister in the APC-led federal government.
The statement read, “Well, if Governor Fubara eventually joins the APC, he should not be blamed, but his party, the PDP, betrayed him. It will not be his fault but that of the PDP, which gave the former governor, Nyesom Wike, a serving minister in the APC government, the party’s structure.”
The lawmakers also took aim at PDP leadership for allegedly turning a blind eye to the actions of defecting legislators who attempted to remove Fubara from office.
“PDP equally supported the lawmakers who decamped to the APC against the governor and wanted to impeach him, but his party did little or nothing to protect Fubara as its leadership was busy hobnobbing with Wike.”
They further accused the PDP of offering only lip service in response to Fubara’s political troubles, particularly following the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers and his subsequent suspension.
“Even after his suspension, what did PDP do to help Fubara apart from issuing mere statements to condemn the president’s action in the afternoon and support it in the night?”
The lawmakers insisted that if Fubara defects, it would be a consequence of PDP’s internal failings, not an act of political betrayal on his part.
