The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has extended an open invitation to Governor Siminalayi Fubara to defect to the party ahead of his planned reinstatement on Thursday, six months after he was suspended from office by President Bola Tinubu.
The call was made by APC’s reinstated state publicity secretary, Darlington Nwauju, during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday.
“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 him into our party.”
Responding to a question on whether Governor Fubara would automatically assume leadership of the APC in Rivers if he defects, Nwauju affirmed that he would.
“By the convention of our party, if he joins the APC, he becomes the leader of the party,” he explained.
Nwauju also addressed concerns about the administration of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (rtd.), who governed Rivers State during the six-month period of emergency rule. He clarified that the APC had not called for a probe into Ibas’s stewardship.
“APC has not officially demanded that Ibas give an account of his stewardship for the past six months,” Nwauju said.
“The budget approval he got was from the National Assembly. There is a committee from the House of Representatives overseeing the period of emergency. I expect the committee to do due diligence, come up with a report, and inform Nigerians of their findings. That is part of their core legislative mandate.”
Both President Tinubu and Governor Fubara are expected back in the country on Tuesday as preparations intensify for Rivers State’s return to democratic governance on Thursday.
Tinubu, who departed Nigeria on September 4 for his annual vacation in France and the UK, was initially scheduled to spend 10 working days abroad but cut his trip short to attend Thursday’s ceremony.
Governor Fubara, who has been in London since his suspension, is also set to return this week. Transition activities are already underway, with the Rivers State Administrator preparing to hand over power and mark the official end of emergency rule.
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