The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has called on suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara to join its ranks as the state prepares for a handover of power.
APC spokesman in the state, Darlington Nwauju, made the appeal on Tuesday, September 16, during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.
He said, “If I were the governor of Rivers State, on my return on Thursday, I would announce my defection to the All Progressives Congress. I think the governor should join the APC, and we would gladly receive the governor into our party.”
When asked if Fubara would assume leadership of the party in Rivers upon defection, Nwauju replied that it was automatic.
“By the convention of our party, if he joins the All Progressives Congress, he becomes the leader of the party,” he added.
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Nwauju also spoke on the administration of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd.), who has been in charge of the state for the past six months.
“APC has not officially demanded that Ibas give an account of his stewardship for the past six months. The budget approval he got was from the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“There is a committee from the House of Representatives overseeing the period of emergency. I do expect that the committee should be able to do due diligence, come up with that report, and tell Nigerians what they found out. It is one of their core mandates in the business of legislations and lawmaking,” he stated.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu and Governor Fubara are expected back in the country on Tuesday ahead of Thursday’s restoration of democratic rule in Rivers.
The state administrator has been finalising preparations for the handover, which will officially mark the end of emergency rule in Rivers.