The Peoples Democratic Party has accused Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara of displaying what it described as a “political Stockholm syndrome,” arguing that he now aligns emotionally with those responsible for his political troubles.
The party’s spokesperson insisted that the governor’s conduct reflects a pattern of misplaced loyalty and selective memory during ongoing disputes within the state’s political structure.
The criticism was issued during a Channels Television morning programme on Thursday, where the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, faulted the governor’s recent comments and actions.
He suggested that Fubara’s constant shift in blame indicates a deeper psychological and political conflict that continues to fuel tension within the party.
The remarks were made on December 11 during the station’s Morning Brief segment. Ememobong recalled internal conversations within the PDP ahead of its last convention, saying senior party figures had urged restraint and sympathy for the Rivers governor because of the political pressure he was under.
According to him, Governor Bala Mohammed had cautioned party stakeholders at the time not to worsen Fubara’s situation.
“Leaders felt he needed space to navigate the storm he was facing,” Ememobong said, adding that the PDP had deliberately chosen patience.
However, he argued that the governor’s recent posture contradicts the reality of his political ordeal.
“What we see now is a situation where, metaphorically, a captive is becoming emotionally attached to the captor,” Ememobong said on air.
“He appears unable to recognise the true source of his challenges, and that selective amnesia is something we completely reject.”
He insisted that Fubara is fully aware of the origins of the crisis and should stop shifting responsibility.
Ememobong referenced the governor’s earlier court action on defection issues as an example of the clarity he previously demonstrated.
“He knows the facts. He knows the continuity of the problem. He knows what the truth is,” he added.
The PDP spokesperson maintained that Fubara’s latest statements raise questions about whether he is intentionally deflecting blame.
“That deflection begins to beg the question of whether he is placing the blame where it should rightly be,” he said.
AFRIPOST reports that the party’s comments add a fresh layer to the already fraught political atmosphere in Rivers State, hinting at deeper internal fractures that may shape future realignments.