The All Progressives Congress has explained the delay in formally welcoming Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, who recently defected to the ruling party.
Speaking on a television programme on Sunday, the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, said the party was carefully managing its timetable to accommodate regional and religious sensitivities, particularly in the North.
Yilwatda said the APC was currently prioritising activities in northern states ahead of the Ramadan season, noting that political engagements in the region are often adjusted to reflect the religious calendar.
According to him, the decision to sequence formal receptions had nothing to do with doubts over Fubara’s authority or standing within the party.
He dismissed suggestions that the Rivers governor was facing internal resistance, insisting that no complaint or petition had been submitted to the party leadership against him.
The APC chairman also clarified that political support groups operating under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda were separate from the party’s official structures and should not be mistaken for internal party platforms.
Questions over Fubara’s position within the APC come against the backdrop of the prolonged political crisis in Rivers State following the collapse of his alliance with his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, after the 2023 elections.
The crisis, which at one point led to the declaration of a state of emergency in the state, reshaped political alignments ahead of 2027.
AFRIPOST reports that Fubara formally joined the APC on December 9, 2025, a move widely interpreted as part of efforts to strengthen his political base, even as Wike continues to wield influence in Rivers politics despite not being a member of the ruling party.