Former Rivers State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Tonye Cole, has claimed that Governor Siminalayi Fubara defected to the party through what he described as an illegal faction, warning that the governor is not politically safe within the party’s current Rivers structure.
Cole made the assertion during an appearance on Channels Television, where he insisted that the Emeka Beke–led faction remains the only authentic and legally recognised APC structure in Rivers State.
Governor Fubara, who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in December 2025, was received into the APC by a rival faction led by Tony Okocha, where he was issued a membership card. However, Cole argued that the process lacked legal backing.
According to him, Fubara “moved in the wrong direction” by aligning with the Okocha faction, stressing that the governor could not be regarded as a legally recognised APC member until he formally joins the Beke-led structure.
“I remain the leader of the APC in Rivers State, and the reason is simple,” Cole said. “There is a legal case instituted by the APC faction that produced me as the party’s candidate. That is the Emeka Beke–led faction, and that case was won in court. That faction is the legally recognised leadership of the APC.”
Cole dismissed claims by other groups laying claim to the party’s leadership in the state, saying such claims had no legal standing.
“Every other person claiming to be chairman or leader of the APC, unless they come under that faction, does not exist as far as the law is concerned,” he said.
Questioning the legitimacy of Fubara’s admission into the party, Cole asked: “Who welcomed him into the APC? Who issued him the membership card? Under which register is he captured? Tony Okocha is not a legally recognised faction of the APC.”
Despite his reservations, Cole described Fubara’s defection as an “astute political move” and said the governor would be welcomed if he aligned with the lawful party structure.
“Even though he may be recognised nationally as an APC member, the group that welcomed him is not legally recognised,” he said. “If he comes to us, we will recognise and welcome him because we have the legal standing to do so. He is not safe where he is.”
Cole also warned the party against repeating the mistakes of 2019, when internal crises in Rivers APC led to a court ruling that prevented the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the party’s candidates during the general elections.
Babatunde Akinsola ✔
Babatunde Akinsola is aNaija247news' Southwest editor. He's based in Lagos and writes on the Yoruba Nation political issues, news and investigative reports
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