Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, aligned with Governor Siminialayi Fubara, have shifted their loyalty to the Action Peoples Party (APP) to secure their political future. This shift follows the dominance of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, and his supporters over the PDP and much of the APC in the state.
The decision to join APP aims to provide loyalists of the governor with a platform to contest the upcoming local government elections. Sources indicate that the names of candidates for chairmanship in the 23 local government areas and for councillorship positions, preferred by the governor, have been nominated, screened, and submitted to the Rivers State Electoral Commission (RSIEC). This list predominantly features serving caretaker chairmen of the local government areas.
Reports suggest that council chairmen loyal to the governor will soon defect to APP, accompanied by their supporters from the PDP. Campaign posters and billboards featuring the current CTC chairman of Port Harcourt City Council, Ezebunwo Ichemati, along with the APP logo, have begun to appear. Ichemati confirmed that they would contest and campaign on the APP platform, promising credible leadership if elected.
Additionally, Marvin Yobana, the CTC Chairman of Khana LGA, has announced his formal defection to APP along with his supporters.
Sunny Wokekoro, the state chairman of APP, spoke in Port Harcourt about the upcoming local government polls, describing them as an opportunity for a new narrative and threshold in political leadership. He emphasized that APP aims to establish a new governance system at the grassroots level that will positively impact the lives of the people. Wokekoro announced that the party’s senatorial zone campaign would begin today, September 24, starting with the Rivers Southeast senatorial district in Boring, concluding with the Rivers East senatorial zone campaign in Port Harcourt on September 26