By Peter Omopo
The crisis within the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has further deepened following the public declaration of support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election by a factional chairman of the party, Dr Robinson Ewor.
Speaking in Port Harcourt, Ewor announced his alignment with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, saying the move was aimed at ensuring President Tinubu’s victory in the next general election. He also expressed a lack of confidence in the leadership of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, insisting that the governor could no longer be trusted with political power.
Ewor accused Governor Fubara of misleading the PDP in the state by claiming he could wrest political control from Wike, only to later defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC). He said the governor’s actions amounted to a betrayal of the party that produced him.
Recalling earlier developments, Ewor said he had previously warned that he would not follow Governor Fubara if he left the PDP. According to him, the mandate being exercised by the governor belongs to the people of Rivers State and should not have been transferred to another political party.
He further called on the governor to disclose details of peace agreements allegedly brokered by President Tinubu during the political crisis that led to the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State and the bombing of the State House of Assembly. Ewor claimed that party members were misled with propaganda during the crisis and were not told the full truth about the agreements reached.
Ewor also alleged that a second peace pact brokered during the emergency rule was neither documented nor made public, and that its eventual collapse contributed to Governor Fubara’s defection to the APC in December 2025. He added that the PDP had approached the Supreme Court to challenge the declaration of emergency rule in order to protect its mandate.
The factional chairman further claimed that Governor Fubara was fully aware of, and involved in, activities leading to the PDP’s Ibadan convention in 2025, where the Rivers State executive committee of the party was dissolved. He said the state delegation to the convention was led by him, although the governor did not attend.
Describing the governor’s actions as double standards, Ewor questioned why Fubara encouraged participation in the convention despite allegedly knowing he would not attend. He also accused the governor of failing to honour agreements reportedly reached with Wike and other stakeholders before the emergency rule was lifted.
The latest development adds to the ongoing power struggle within the Rivers PDP, further highlighting deep divisions that have reshaped the state’s political landscape.
