The President of the Ijaw National Congress, Prof. Benjamin Okaba, has said there is nothing wrong if Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara decides to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and join the All Progressives Congress (APC), especially if such a move helps to resolve the state’s ongoing political crisis.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Thursday, Okaba commented on reports suggesting that Fubara may defect to the APC following his recent meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Lagos.
“There’s nothing wrong about that,” he said. “At this point, we must be realistic and understand Nigerian politics. What we have are not political parties in the true sense, but platforms for political competition.”
He criticized the current political system, calling it a “malutocracy,” and described political parties as loose structures that politicians use to shift alliances for convenience.
Okaba referenced past instances where political leaders threatened officials who didn’t follow them during such shifts.
He also pointed to Fubara’s own remarks expressing a willingness to do whatever is necessary to restore peace to the state.
President Tinubu had, on March 18, declared a state of emergency in Rivers State.
He suspended Governor Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and all members of the state House of Assembly for six months. Retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas was appointed as the state’s interim administrator.