Fubara, Other PDP Governors Who Joined APC in 2025 and Why
The leading opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) crisis started ahead of the 2023 general election over leadership structure between the southern and northern bloc. The crisis was a major factor in the loss the of the party in the last cycle of election.
However, two years after the election, the PDP was yet to put his house in order and Nigerians are already seeing its total collapse ahead of the 2027 general election. The unending leadership crisis has cost the PDP many prominent members, including sitting governors, senators, national and state lawmakers as well as influential figures.
Source: Twitter
In 2025, no less than seven governors from the leading opposition party have resigned from the PDP and six of them joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun, who recently announced his resignation from the party, has joined the Accord Party ahead of his re-election in 2026.
Below is the list of PDP governors who have joined the APC and the party's leadership crisis was a major factor in their decision:
Sheriff Oborevwori
In a surprising move, Delta Governor Oborevwori shocked Nigerians when he announced his defection from the PDP to the APC in April 2025. Many Nigerians were surprised because Delta was one of the PDP states with stability and unity when it comes to internal party affairs.
Governor Oborevwori explained that he joined the APC to align the state with the central and get more federal benefits. He joined the ruling party with all the PDP structure in Delta and his predecessor, who doubled as the PDP vice presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Ifeanyi Okowa, joined the train.
Umo Eno of Akwa Ibo
Two months after Oborevwori's defection, Governor Eno of Akwa Ibom also dumped the PDP, citing the need to fully support President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election because of the good work the president had been doing and to ensure continuity.
Like his counterpart in Delta, he also expressed the need to align the state with the central and defected with many PDP members and leaders to the APC.
Enugu's Peter Mbah
Peter Mbah of Anambra was another PDP governor whose defection to the APC shocked Nigerians. This is due to the fact that the state has been known to be PDP state. With Peter Obi's influence in the southeast, many had hoped that the Labour Party would gained prominence in the region, but Mbah joined APC instead.
The defection of Mbah to the APC on Tuesday, October 14, make the ruling party to have the highest number of governors in the southeast. While the APC has three governors, the Labour Party and the All Progressive Grand Alliance have one each and the PDP was left with none, in a region it once dominated.
Douye Diri of Bayelsa
Another PDP stronghold is Bayelsa. The state has produce president and vice president (Goodluck Jonathan) under the PDP but Governor Diri shocked Nigerians when he announced his defection from the leading opposotopn party to the ruling APC.
Many have wondered why the governor dumped the party but Governor Diri stressed the need to align the state wioth the central. Governor Diri's defection to the APC made the APC have the control of five of the six states in the oil-rich region, south-south.
Agbu Kefas of Taraba
Governor Agbu kefas became the first northern governor to announce his defection from the PDP to the APC, saying that his decision was in the interest of the people of the state, listing the benefits of aligning the state with the central.
The governor had earlier scheduled his official defection to last month but the ceremony was postponed indefinitely due to the kidnapping of school children in Niger and Kebbi states. Like others, he also joined the APC with the PDP structure in the state.
Siminalayi Fubara
The latest of the PDP governors who have defected to the APC is Rivers governor. Governor Fubara cited the need to fully and publicly support President Bola Tinubu's second term ambition in the 2027 election, noting that if not for the president, he would have been a former governor by now. He alleged that the PDP betrayed him during the trial.
Fubara had spent his first two years to fight his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who is also serving as a minister under President Tinubu. Wike, who's loyalists dominated the state house of assembly, had moved to impeached Fubara but President Tinubu's declaration of state of emergency return stability to the state.
Source: Legit.ng
