BREAKING NEWS: APC Crisis Deepens As Defectors, Old Members Clash For Control In Key States

The looming crisis is expected to escalate in some of the states where defectors are already battling with the existing members of the party for political influence and relevance, Sunday Sun can authoritatively reveal.

But a source close to the party told the newspaper that there are some exceptions. The source listed some of the states where the party is unlikely to experience a crisis to include Osun, Enugu and Bayelsa for now.

He noted that crisis is already brewing in most of the states that have so far witnessed defections, noting that in Delta State for instances, despite the president’s intervention, the forces there have still not aligned, with some already threatening to deny the governor a re-election ticket.

“In Osun, I think they are lucky. Those who defected from PDP are persons who are very strong politically, which the original APC members may find difficult dislodging,” the source noted.

The source added, however, that “I envisage trouble in Osun Central Senatorial District and Ijesa South Federal Constituency because APC has very strong candidates in those areas.”

Expressing fear over the impending implosion, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, who had served as Senate Majority Leader and currently functions as Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Planning and Economic Affairs, noted that his greatest worry is what happens after Tinubu completes his second term.

He said further that “under Obasanjo, the PDP acted like a bulldozer. Yar’Adua was gentle and inclusive, attracting even opposition members. Conflicts later emerged, but I pray such internal fractures do not come to the APC. The real question is whether we will ever have another President with Tinubu’s vision, capacity, and political dexterity, someone capable of uniting so many diverse interests under one political umbrella. The party is strong, but its leadership must consciously build a platform that is inclusive enough to sustain this momentum. Those defecting expect justice, fairness, and inclusion, not just electoral success. As we move towards congresses at all levels, the party must ensure that both old members and new entrants experience the justice that the president has promised.”

On how to avoid the impending implosion, the former senate leader admonished President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to study each state based on its peculiarity before taking decisions. He noted: “The president should identify individuals with competence, calm temperament, and crisis-management skills. These are the people needed at the forefront. He should study each state individually, surround himself with knowledgeable people who understand the nuances at local levels, and ensure that consultations are continuous. Party primaries must be carefully managed. Governors must also be brought onto a common platform aligned with the president’s vision for a greater Nigeria. I do not envy the president or the new party chairman. They have enormous work ahead of them between now and 2027 and even up to 2031.”

In Bayelsa, old foes reuniting

In Bayelsa however, old foes appear to be reuniting as partners to stabilise the party. After a bitter and acrimonious political rivalry spanning 11 years, several political gladiators in the state have found themselves under the APC following the defection of the state governor, Senator Douye Diri, on November 2.

Since 1999, all political tendencies in Bayelsa State belonged to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). During this period, getting the party ticket was the hardest part, as it was a sure pathway to victory in any general election. However, the unceremonious ouster of former governor Timipre Sylva in 2012 and the harassment that followed, which led to his departure from the PDP and entry into the APC in 2014, berthed the entry of opposition politics in the state.

The formidable political force built by Sylva contested the 2015, 2019, and 2023 governorship elections against the PDP, leaving in its wake deaths, injuries, and sour relationships among kinsmen. The political polarisation in the state because of political affiliations was so obvious to the extent that members of the PDP and APC were permanently at loggerheads on social media. The situation has, however, changed with the defection of Diri into the APC. At the moment, several political foes across the 105 wards have now reunited, forming new alliances in the APC.

Investigations revealed that when it was imminent that Diri was going to join the APC, several members of the party were apprehensive over what would become of them. Their anxiety was heightened by boastful comments from PDP members who declared that they were coming to take over the party.

On the eve of Diri’s defection, the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Sam Ogbuku, allayed the fears of old members of the party, declaring that “nobody can push you out of the APC.”

He further said: “Unless you want to push yourself out of the party. All of us are now members of the APC. Politics, they say, is local. So, you now have to go back to your local government. Local government structures are now going to be redefined. There are some communities where you have only APC and no PDP, while there are some, where you have PDP and now APC. So, we are going to have an amalgamation of APC and PDP. If you must agree with me, the PDP members coming to join us would make it easier for us to win the election for President Bola Tinubu. That means there will not be any fighting in the state. Nobody will chase old APC members away; they don’t manufacture politicians. Let us open our hearts and receive our brothers and sisters coming in.’’

Diri, on his part, also assured the party leadership in his remarks that he is ready to work with them to move the party forward.

The governor, who acknowledged the division in the party along the lines of loyalty to Sylva and the Minister of State for Petroleum (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, stated that the two camps are in support of his leadership.

“The APC leadership in the state has nothing to fear. You know my style. I am not the type that breathes down on people,” he said.

Investigations revealed that comments from Diri and Ogbuku have helped to douse tension, creating a conducive atmosphere for a new political relationship to thrive. Across the state, former PDP members have been well received in their wards, with everybody pledging to work together for the growth of the party.Though Diri has not given new appointments to accommodate old APC members, the retention of the APC party leadership at the ward, local, and state levels has helped in fostering unity in the APC.

The unity in the APC for now has become the albatross for the PDP in the state.The party leadership in the state still submits to the Diri camp.They usually attend state functions just like before, an indication that they are not ready to play opposition politics.

The late deputy governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, and former governor, Senator Seriake Dickson were supposed to provide the rallying point for the PDP in the state. The death of Ewhrudjakpo on Thursday, December 11, has thrown spanners into that arrangement.As it stands, PDP has no direction in Bayelsa State. Where PDP is failing, the APC appears to be waxing strong with party chieftains rallying support for Diri as the new leader of the party in the state.

Rivers: Old wounds festering anew?

Before Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State announced his move to the APC, the members in Rivers State were already riding a wave of optimism. This could be seen in the language of the governor when he announced his defection to his supporters at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Tuesday.

He defected just days after Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule and 16 other lawmakers dumped their party, the PDP for the APC.

Their departure was framed as a “voluntary choice” and sparked public statements from their political leader and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, who said the move was “unfortunate” but respected.

However, Fubara’s inner circle had been counselling him to join APC before Wike, arguing that controlling APC’s structure in Rivers would secure his political future.

There was excitement among APC loyalists, especially his supporters, who saw Fubara’s potential defection as a boost for the party’s 2027 ambitions.

Some political analysts have expressed concerns about Fubara’s defection affecting harmony and unity of the party. They cautioned that his arrival might shift internal power balances and create new rivalries.

They believe short term tension is likely. Some APC chieftains said PDP APC rivalry might intensify as PDP tries to retain remaining members and APC seeks to consolidate the new influx.

At the House of Assembly, APC is in majority with 16 lawmakers, with all the principal officers. While PDP has 10 lawmakers, and none of them was among the principal officers before the formers’ defection.

Internal APC dynamics could become competitive with Fubara’s camp battling the existing APC politicians for leadership, influence and relevance.

With the fragile peace in the state, long term political harmony in Rivers State depends on how quickly APC integrates Fubara’s supporters and addresses any power sharing disputes.

It was glaring during Fubara’s declaration of his new political party that all the people captured by the media are his core supporters, who backed him strongly during his political face-off with his mentor, Wike, and the 26 state lawmakers.

However, Fubara’s defection to APC does not mean PDP is dead in Rivers State, as Wike remains in PDP and still commands a significant bloc of state legislators. Officials argue that the party will stabilise and won’t miss Fubara, pointing to his limited visibility within the PDP in recent times.

According to political watchers the state has historically been a PDP stronghold. So, complete collapse is unlikely – though PDP’s influence has shrunk dramatically with the defection of Rotimi Ameachi in the past and now Fubara.

According to Monday Nwokem, a political commentator, harmony may wobble temporarily. He said unity would hinge on APC’s integration strategy.

He stated that it is too early to conclude that PDP is dead, emphasising that “PDP is not dead. It still retains Wike and some legislators.”

Nwokem added: “But its dominance in Rivers has significantly weakened.”

Chief Jackson Ojo, a notable person in the state, said Fubara’s calculation was wrong and those who advised him to take the decision goofed.

He said: “As far as I’m concerned, there is no wisdom in Governor Fubara decamping to APC. Why is he running from PDP? Yes, we know that PDP is totally collapsed and there is nobody that would want to remain in a house that is collapsed. PDP’s engine is knocked and nobody would want to board a vehicle with a knocked engine because it can’t take you to anywhere.

“But, then, if you are in a vehicle that has knocked, you must be very careful not to board another vehicle that may equally not take you to your destination.

“Look at what the governor of Osun State did. He decamped from PDP and went to Accord Party. In Accord Party, he knows that he has performed credibly well. And based on that, he believes in public trust, that the people of Osun State still need his services for the next four years. He did not go to any party that is seeking sympathy. You are seeking sympathy where nobody is going to be sympathetic with you.

“In both the PDP and APC, you have the former governor, Nyesom Wike. He’s in both parties in Rivers State. Is there any peaceful political relationship with him (Fubara) and others? Is the governor having any peaceful co-existence with the members of the House of Assembly. No. And you are decamping to them!

“If the governor had decamped to a political party that he has no issues with than going to be under the same roof where the enemies can easily capture him, that would have been better.

“That is exactly what the governor has done. The state chairman of the party (Tony Okocha) has simply said that he is not aware if the governor has eventually decamped to the party.

“Now, if the state chairman of the party does not know that the governor has decamped to the party, who did the governor decamp to?

“Now, is the governor highly welcomed in APC? I would say no. Are they comfortable with him? Will there be trust? The answer is no. Will there be serious harmonious relationship politically? No.”

Meanwhile, the factional chairman of the PDP in the state, Robinson Ewor, said the party is intact and with members, saying Fubara’s exit was not a new thing.

He noted that the governor had left the PDP long ago, even before the end of the emergency rule. He said the APC-led government fought the governor to a standstill and successfully captured the state.

Said Ewor: “The governor’s defection to the APC is nothing new as far as I’m concerned. You know that the APC declared a state of emergency in Rivers State not because there was crisis in Rivers State, but because they wanted to take over Rivers State. During the state of emergency, they conducted local government election and took over the 23 LGAS completely.

“Within the same period under review, they appointed all the boards, parastatals and agencies in Rivers State. So, Fubara came back with nothing in his hands. So, Fubara, if he remains in PDP, is like a non-existent figure. As far as I’m concerned, he has gone long ago and the APC has captured the state long ago. Not because he wanted to go, but because they fought him and they conquered him,” the PDP factional chairman added.

• Additional reports from Femi Folaranmi (Bayelsa) and Tony John (Port Harcourt)