The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the defection of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as “pitiful,” insisting that the governor is the architect of his own political troubles.
In a statement on Tuesday, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, said the political situation in Rivers State has once again exposed weaknesses in Nigeria’s democracy, where powerful actors allegedly rely on federal might rather than allowing institutions to function independently.
Governor Fubara confirmed his exit from the PDP in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, a day after meeting President Bola Tinubu at the State House in Abuja. He left with several appointees and supporters, claiming the party failed to protect him during months of political conflict in the state.
The PDP dismissed the claim, saying the governor knowingly took the steps that led to his current position.
“The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party has received the news of the formal defection of Governor Siminalayi Fubara from our party to the ruling party. This news, as pitiful as it is, exemplifies the old legal maxim volenti non fit injuria, to one who is willing, no harm is done,” Ememobong said.
The party said Nigerians who followed the Rivers crisis from the beginning would recall that Fubara “willingly travelled the path that took him to this destination,” and cannot now accuse the party or any group of abandoning him.
The PDP also advised the governor to avoid what it described as “Stockholm Syndrome,” explaining it as a situation where a victim becomes emotionally attached to an oppressor.
Despite the criticism, the party said it bears no grudges against him. “We pity the Governor and wish him well,” it stated.
The PDP used the opportunity to warn that Nigeria’s democracy is coming under increasing pressure. It accused the APC of attempting to narrow the political space and steer the country toward a one-party structure.
“Democracy is terribly threatened by acts of this kind,” the statement said. “We reiterate to Nigerians and the global community that the ruling party’s unrelenting disposition toward a one-party state and the constriction of political space means democracy is under severe attack.”
Ememobong called on Nigerians and democratic institutions to resist what he described as the continued decline in democratic norms.
