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By Myke Agunwa
The Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule has finally announced that he and fifteen other members of the House have officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The defection was declared on Friday during plenary, barely three months after President Bola Tinubu lifted the six-month emergency rule he imposed on the state on 18 March 2025.
Recall that on December 11, 2023, the lawmakers announced their exit from the PDP during a televised plenary session in Port Harcourt. The move, which was broadcast live on national TV, triggered a long legal battle as loyalists of the governor Siminialayi Fubara, including then-factional Speaker Edison Ehie, declared the defectors’ seats vacant under Section 109(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution, which mandates automatic vacancy upon party defection in the absence of a national crisis.
But standing before the chamber, Amaewhule said, “Distinguished colleagues, very happily, let me announce that your Speaker has decided and has indeed written to my ward chairman of my decision to leave the PDP. APC is my new party.
“I will do all that is needed to be done towards ensuring that the party card of the APC is issued to me in no time. But as we speak today, I am a member of the APC so that we can join forces with Mr. President. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is doing so much for this country. He means well for Nigeria. He is tackling the issue of security headlong. The President has shown love to Rivers State,” Amaewhule declared.
The Speaker cited the “division in PDP” as the major reason for the mass exodus, a clear reference to the bitter feud between suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his estranged political godfather, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, which plunged the state into crisis throughout 2025.
The sixteen defectors are: Speaker Martin Amaewhule, Dumle Maol, Major Jack, Linda Stewart, Franklin Nwabochi, Azeru Opara, Smart Adoki, Enemi George, Solomon Wami, Igwe Aforji, Tekena Wellington, Looloo Opuende, Peter Abbey, Arnold Dennis, Chimezie Nwankwo, and Ofiks Kabang.
It was noted that Wednesday’s plenary had already set the tone when the same lawmakers passed a unanimous vote of confidence in President Tinubu and publicly urged him to seek re-election in 2027, a motion moved by House Leader Major Jack.
The defection servers as the final chapter of the pro-Wike faction’s realignment with the presidency after months of open rebellion against Governor Fubara, who was suspended along with his deputy, Ngozi Odu, under the emergency rule framework that ended on 17 September 2025.