The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Chief Tony Okocha has declared that the party will work with the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, when he returns back to office.
Okocha made this known on Tuesday, at the APC secretariat on Aba Road, Port Harcourt, during a press briefing to commend Rivers people for electing his party’s candidates to man the leadership of 20 local government councils in the State.
This was as the APC chairman has urged the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike and members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state to join the APC for a successful and progressive Rivers State.
Okocha commended President Tinubu, the National Working Committee of the APC, for the APC victory at the August 30, 2025 local government council election in the State.
He said with the recorded victory at the LG elections, “we are going to double and redouble our membership for the President, as far as my party is concerned, we will be fielding him for a second term in 2027”.
He expressed that the Rivers State LG election is a prelude to what will happen in 2027, recalling that he had “told our people that there is a need for us to believe and leave the periphery. In 2023, APC in Rivers State had no shoes, now we are wearing psychedelic shoes”.
On why APC lost in three LGAs to PDP, Okocha said “We did not field candidates in Obio/Akpor, PHALGA and ONELGA because we do not have the strength in those areas. It was our own calculated strategy not to field candidates in those LGAs and concentrate only where we have comparative advantage”.
On the party’s future relationship with Fubara, Okocha stated “The governor who was suspended will return to office on September 18. APC will work with him when he returns, there are states where the governor and assembly members are in different parties, so we are going to work with him.
However, that will not take away our rights to criticize him when he does wrong, but for us, the LGA Chairmen will work with him except that we will not agree to vicious policies.”
Mocking the leadership of the PDP in the country, Okocha said “PDP is in tatters and people are leaving them in droves to other parties and we’re privileged to have them.
“We.will continue on PDP members, particularly the FCT Minister to come over to APC and have peace. PDP is in tatters. We will continue our pleas for PDP members to join APC”.
Okocha explained that the reason for the briefing was to express heartfelt gratitude to party members and Rivers people who turned out in their numbers to vote massively for APC during the just-concluded of Government elections in the State.
He further praised the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), security agencies, and the media for their roles in ensuring a free, fair, and credible election that was devoid of violence or crisis.
He assured that under his leadership, the Rivers APC would continue to woo more members to join the party, including the members of the State House of Assembly, and other critical stakeholders across the state.
Blessing Ibunge
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