By Sochima Agbo 

The Peoples Democratic Party has condemned the defection of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, to the All Progressives Congress, accusing the ruling party of engineering the crisis that pushed him out of the PDP.

Fubara formally joined the APC on Tuesday after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu, saying the PDP failed to protect him and that he owes his political survival to the President. He immediately ordered the removal of the PDP flag from the Government House.

His defection means all six South-South states are now controlled by the APC.

The PDP described Fubara’s move as “pitiful,” warning that the APC’s actions threaten Nigeria’s democracy and signal a push toward a one-party state. The party insisted that Fubara’s troubles were self-inflicted.

In Rivers State, a factional PDP chairman, Robinson Ewor, said the governor had long abandoned the party, arguing that the APC effectively took control of the state during the emergency rule earlier in the year.

Fubara’s defection follows months of political turmoil sparked by his fallout with former governor and current FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, which led to the declaration of a state of emergency and a deep split in the state’s political structure.