Amid the turbulent political landscape in Rivers State, former governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Tonye Cole, has asserted that Governor Siminalayi Fubara's recent defection to the party was executed through an "illegal" faction, rendering his membership legally questionable at the state level. Cole made these claims during an interview on Channels Television on Friday, January 9, 2026, emphasizing that only the Emeka Beke-led structure holds legitimate recognition as the authentic APC leadership in Rivers.
Fubara, who had governed under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) since his inauguration in May 2023, formally defected to the APC in December 2025. The move was announced during a stakeholders' meeting at the Government House in Port Harcourt, where the governor cited it as a "gesture of reciprocity" for the support received from President Bola Tinubu amid the protracted crisis with his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. Following the defection, Fubara was publicly welcomed by the national leadership of the APC and presented with a membership card by Tony Okocha, who heads a rival faction in the state.
Cole, the APC's candidate in the contentious 2023 governorship election — which he contested against Fubara and alleged involved irregularities — dismissed the Okocha faction's authority. He insisted that the Emeka Beke-led executive remains the only legally recognized body, backed by a court judgment. "I remain the leader of the APC in Rivers state. The reason is very simple," Cole stated. "There is a legal case, which was instituted by the APC (faction) that elected me as a candidate of the party. That is the Emeka Beke-led faction case. That case was won in court, and the faction was recognised as the APC leadership. That is legal."
He further argued that any other claims to party leadership, including Okocha's, lack legal standing unless aligned with the Beke group. "Every other person who claims to be chairman or leader of APC, unless they come under that faction, doesn’t exist as far as the law is concerned," Cole added. Questioning the validity of Fubara's admission, he asked: "Who is welcoming him to the APC? Who is the one issuing him the membership card? Where is he registered under? Now Tony Okocha is not a legally recognised faction of the APC."
Despite his criticisms, Cole described Fubara's defection as an "astute political move" that has been welcomed across the party, including by himself. However, he cautioned that the governor remains "not safe" in his current alignment, urging him to join the Beke-led structure for proper recognition. "Even though he is recognised nationally as a member of the APC, the group that has welcomed him is not legally recognised," Cole said. "He should come. We will recognise and welcome him because we have the legal standing to do so. He is not safe where he is."
The Rivers APC has long been divided between factions loyal to different interests. The Tony Okocha-led group enjoys backing from the APC national leadership and reportedly from Wike, while the Emeka Beke faction has aligned more closely with Fubara post-defection in some contexts. Reports indicate that court rulings in 2025 affirmed aspects of Beke's leadership tenure until October 2025, though national party statements have reaffirmed Okocha's position at various points, creating ongoing confusion and litigation risks.
Cole warned the APC against repeating the mistakes of 2019, when internal crises led to a court ruling barring the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognizing the party's candidates in Rivers during the general elections. That episode effectively excluded APC candidates from the ballot in the state, highlighting the dangers of unresolved factionalism. "We must avoid a recurrence of the party’s 2019 crisis in Rivers," he emphasized, underscoring the potential for similar judicial interventions that could undermine the party's prospects in future polls, including the 2027 elections.
The defection comes against the backdrop of heightened tensions in Rivers, including fresh impeachment proceedings initiated by the State House of Assembly against Fubara on January 8, 2026. Interestingly, the Emeka Beke-led APC faction has rejected the impeachment move, describing it as politically motivated and vowing to protect the governor's administration. This stance contrasts with the broader political dynamics, where Fubara's switch to APC is seen by some as a strategic bid to secure federal backing and neutralize opposition from Wike loyalists in the assembly.
Observers note that Fubara's alignment with the national APC, following closed-door engagements with President Tinubu, reflects a pattern of defections to the ruling party among governors seeking stability amid local power struggles. However, Cole's intervention highlights persistent intra-party fractures that could complicate Fubara's integration and expose him to legal challenges over membership validity.
As Rivers navigates this new phase, with Fubara now officially in the APC but contested at the state level, the focus remains on potential court resolutions, national interventions, and the implications for governance in Nigeria's oil-rich state. Cole's comments have amplified debates on factionalism, loyalty, and the legal intricacies of party defections in Nigerian politics.
