The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has invited Governor Siminalayi Fubara to join the party.
This move comes as the state prepares for the end of its period of emergency rule and the governor’s planned reinstatement ceremony.
The open invitation was extended by the reinstated Rivers APC spokesman, Darlington Nwauju, during an appearance on Channels Television’s “The Morning Brief” on Tuesday.
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“If I were the governor of Rivers State, on my return on Thursday, I would announce my defection to the All Progressives Congress,” Nwauju said.
“I think the governor should join the APC, and we would gladly receive the governor into our party.”
When questioned about the potential leadership structure should Fubara join the APC, Nwauju affirmed that Fubara would automatically become the party’s leader in the state.
“By the convention of our party, if he joins the All Progressives Congress (APC), he becomes the leader of the party,” he explained.
Nwauju also addressed the six-month administration of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), the state’s former Administrator.
He clarified that the Rivers APC has not officially called for a probe of Ibas’s stewardship.
He noted that the budget approval received by the Administrator came from the National Assembly and that a House of Representatives committee overseeing the emergency period is expected to conduct due diligence and report its findings to the public.
The political developments unfold as both President Bola Tinubu and Fubara are expected to return to the country on Tuesday.
Tinubu, who had been on vacation in France and the United Kingdom, cut his trip short to return to Abuja.
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Fubara is also due back from London.
Their return precedes a series of transition activities planned by the Rivers State Administrator, Ibas, marking the conclusion of the emergency rule and the return to democratic governance on Thursday.
