Gov Sim Fubara
Dec. 10, 2025
The Vice Chairman (Central) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Mr. Hakeem Olalemi, says the party will not miss Gov. Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers, following his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Olalemi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos that Fubara’s decision to leave the PDP was “purely personal” and driven by his quest for political protection.
Olalemi said: “Everybody has the right to belong to where he or she wants. I believe Gov. Fubara’s defection is his personal decision.
“He is looking for protection, and he believes it is President Bola Tinubu that can give him the protection he seeks.”
The PDP chieftain dismissed claims that Fubara’s move was connected to internal issues within the party, insisting that the situation in Rivers predated the challenges facing the PDP at the national level.
“We cannot attach his defection to the crisis within the PDP.
“It is not a PDP crisis. Fubara’s crisis is a special crisis. He had been in a political war long before our issues in the PDP,” he said.
Olalemi said the problem in PDP persists owing to what he called the refusal of some individuals to follow due process and the party’s constitution.
“Some people don’t want to follow the law. They want to do things the way they think it should be done, and that’s why we are having problems in the PDP.
“If we follow the party constitution and the constitution of Nigeria to the letter, we shouldn’t be having these issues.
“Those who want shortcuts to success are the ones dragging the PDP backward,” he added.
He expressed confidence that the PDP would soon stabilise and return to the path of progress.
On whether the party would miss Fubara, Olalemi said the governor had not been active in party affairs and therefore would not be missed.
“For the past two years, have you seen him in PDP activities? No. So what exactly are going to miss ?
“Though it is not good for any party to lose members, the truth is that Fubara has not contributed meaningfully to the growth of the PDP since he became governor,” Olalemi said.
Olalemi added that the party wished Fubara well in his new political journey.
Fubara said he decided to leave the PDP to support Tinubu, adding that he would have become a former governor without Tinubu’s support. (NAN)
