PDP NWC members visit Fubara in Rivers, declare him party leader

Some members of the national working committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have declared support for Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers state.

The NWC members expressed solidarity with Fubara on Wednesday in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers, declaring him as the leader of the PDP in the south-south state.

The delegation included Debo Ologunagba, the PDP spokesperson, and Ahmed Mohammed, the national treasurer.

Mohammed, who spoke after meeting with the governor, said the party is strategising to regain power in 2027.

“From Rivers to the national level, we are working together, and the governor is the leader of the PDP in Rivers state as it is the policy of the PDP that every sitting governor is the leader of the leader of the party,” he said.

“So, invariably, the governor of Rivers state is the leader of the PDP. We came to visit our leader and to assure him that we were 100 percent with him.

“The essence of the visit is to assure Nigerians that the PDP is coming together and trying to see that in May 2027, the PDP takes over governance in Nigeria.”

The PDP NWC is reportedly divided, with Mohammed and Ologunagba leading one faction, while other members align with Umar Damagum, the acting national chairman.

Last week, the Rivers state high court nullified the congresses conducted by the PDP in the state in August 2024.

The congresses, held in the 319 wards and 23 LGAs, were reportedly backed by Nyesom Wike, the minister of the federal capital territory (FCT).

Fubara and Wike are locked in a power struggle in the state.

Ologunagba would later issue a statement saying the PDP NWC had accepted the court ruling.

Barely a day later, Ibrahim Abdullahi, PDP deputy spokesperson, countered Ologunagba’s statement, describing it as a “calculated falsehood”.

Ibrahim, who claimed that he was directed by Damagum to dismiss Ologunagba’s statement, said party’s spokesperson was not authorised to speak on the judgment.