The Vice Chairman (Central) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Hakeem Olalemi, says the party will not feel the absence of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, following his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos, Olalemi described Fubara’s move as a “purely personal” decision driven by his search for political protection.
“Everyone has the right to belong wherever they choose. I believe Gov. Fubara’s defection is his personal decision,” he said. “He is looking for protection, and he believes President Bola Tinubu is the one who can give him that protection.”
Olalemi dismissed suggestions that the governor’s defection was linked to internal PDP problems, insisting that the political turmoil in Rivers State long predates the party’s national challenges.
“We cannot attach his defection to the PDP crisis. It is not a PDP crisis. Fubara’s crisis is a special crisis. He has been in a political war long before our issues in the PDP,” he stated.
He attributed the ongoing issues within the PDP to individuals who refuse to follow due process and the party constitution.
“Some people don’t want to follow the law. They want to do things their own way, and that is why we are having problems. If we follow the party constitution and that of Nigeria to the letter, we shouldn’t be having these issues,” he said, adding that those seeking shortcuts were dragging the party backward.
Despite the internal challenges, Olalemi expressed confidence that the PDP would soon stabilise and regain its footing.
On whether the party would miss the Rivers governor, he was emphatic: “For the past two years, have you seen him in PDP activities? No. So what exactly are we going to miss? Though it is not good for any party to lose members, the truth is that Fubara has not contributed meaningfully to the growth of the PDP since he became governor.”
He added that the party wishes Fubara well in his new political journey.
NAN reports that Governor Fubara officially announced his defection to the APC on Tuesday during a stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House in Port Harcourt, saying he took the step to support President Tinubu. According to him, without Tinubu’s intervention, he would have been a “former governor” by now.
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