The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has suffered a major setback in Rivers State following the defection of six members of the House of Representatives to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), drastically shrinking the party’s caucus in the state.
The lawmakers—Robinson Dekor, Solomon Bob, Cyril Hart, Victor Obuzor, Blessing Amadi and Felix Nwaeke—formally announced their defection on Tuesday, reducing the PDP’s representation in the Rivers State caucus of the House to just two members.
Reading their letters of defection on the floor of the House, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas said the lawmakers hinged their decision on “divisions and unresolved political crisis in the PDP.”
The defectors, who were elected on the platform of the PDP, said the protracted internal crisis within the opposition party had made it impossible for them to effectively pursue their political aspirations.
They added that their decision to join the APC was informed by their desire to align with the “Renewed Hope Agenda” of President Bola Tinubu.
With the latest round of defections, only the House Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda, and Kelechi Nwogu remain as PDP representatives from Rivers State in the House of Representatives.
The development further weakens the PDP’s standing in the state, where it once controlled all 12 House seats before a sustained wave of defections began.
Just last week, the party lost three other lawmakers from Rivers State—Boniface Emerengwa, Awaji-Inombek Abiante and Boma Goodhead—who also crossed over to the APC.
The defections come amid a broader political realignment in the state. On December 9, 2025, SaharaReporters reported that Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, officially defected from the PDP to the APC.
According to the report, the governor announced his defection during a stakeholders’ meeting held at the Government House in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
Fubara’s exit marked a significant shift in Rivers State’s political landscape, long regarded as a stronghold of the PDP, and is expected to have far-reaching implications for party alignments and power dynamics ahead of future elections.
