Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has explained why it has not yet held an official public reception for Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who recently defected to the party.
Speaking on Television Continental (TVC), a Nigerian television station, on Sunday, 8 February 2026, APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, said the delay is linked to the party’s internal timetable and what he described as regional sensitivities, especially in northern Nigeria.
Yilwatda said the APC is planning formal receptions in parts of the north first, including Kano State, a major state in northern Nigeria, because the Muslim fasting season of Ramadan is approaching.
He said the party’s thinking is that Ramadan affects public gatherings and political events in many northern communities. “We opted to clear the north first because Ramadan is coming,” he said, adding that the party wants to respect local realities before moving to receptions in the south.
Okay News reports that the APC chairman insisted the decision is not connected to any claim that Fubara lacks influence or authority within the party in Rivers State, an oil-producing state in southern Nigeria’s Niger Delta region.
When asked about suggestions that Fubara may not be able to assert control as the APC leader in Rivers, Yilwatda rejected the idea and asked for evidence of internal disputes or formal complaints.
He said, “I am the national chairman. Who complained to you? What petition? Give me one petition.” He also warned against what he described as media speculation taking the place of documented grievances.
Yilwatda also addressed references to comments by Nigeria’s Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, a former governor of Rivers State, about political actors in the state rallying around President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope” agenda, the slogan associated with the Nigerian president’s administration.
According to the APC chairman, support groups and informal political alignments should not be confused with the party’s official structures and processes.
The questions around party leadership in Rivers have been linked to a prolonged political crisis in the state, following a breakdown in the relationship between Fubara and his predecessor, Wike, after political tensions that began in 2023.
Fubara, who was elected governor on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), one of Nigeria’s major political parties, formally defected to the APC on Tuesday, 9 December 2025, a move widely viewed as part of his preparations for the 2027 governorship election cycle.
The situation has also been shaped by competing claims of influence within Rivers politics, including public comments by Wike, who has argued that party leadership is driven by grassroots control and existing party structures.
