The Action Peoples Party (APP) has called on Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara to seek re-election under its platform in 2027, despite the governor neither being a member nor owning the party.
Sunny Wokekoro, the Rivers State APP Chairman, made this appeal on Saturday while receiving a solidarity visit from the party’s immediate past leadership, led by Kenneth Atata, at the APP state secretariat in Port Harcourt.
Wokekoro expressed confidence that the party would make a significant impact in the October 5 local government elections and is determined to change the political narrative in Rivers State. He highlighted his departure from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), describing it as no longer a viable option for any politician dedicated to positive change.
“I was a founding member of the PDP,” Wokekoro said. “But with the recent developments in the party, any person who has morals and integrity should have left by now.”
He also clarified that Governor Fubara is not a member of the APP, addressing speculation that the governor owns or controls the party. “This party has been in existence since 2017. It predates any of us who have just joined. No one can claim to be the owner of this party, and Governor Fubara is not a member,” he explained.
However, Wokekoro emphasized the APP’s commitment to attracting quality candidates, including persuading Governor Fubara to consider the APP as his re-election platform. He also encouraged other political leaders in the State and National Houses of Assembly to join the party.
The APP National Chairman, Uchenna Nnadi, commended Wokekoro for raising the party’s profile in Rivers State. “Within a short while, you have made us proud, and our party is being recognised nationally,” Nnadi said.
Speculation about Governor Fubara’s potential defection to the APP has been circulating amid reports of tensions between him and his predecessor, now-FCT Minister Nyesom Wike. These rumors intensified after an August 2023 bombing at the APP’s secretariat in Port Harcourt.
Nevertheless, Fubara dismissed the defection rumors during a meeting with the PDP Board of Trustees, pledging his continued loyalty to the PDP.
