In a dramatic shift of political allegiance, the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule, alongside 16 fellow lawmakers, officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Friday, citing persistent internal divisions within the PDP as the reason for their move.
Amaewhule, who represents Obio-Akpor I constituency, stood before his colleagues during Friday’s plenary session in Port Harcourt and declared: “The major reason for leaving the PDP is because of the division in the PDP.”
He added that his decision to join the APC was a strategic choice to “join forces with Mr President [Bola Ahmed Tinubu]. He is doing so much for this country.”
During the plenary, Amaewhule formally announced that he had written to his ward chairman signalling his departure from the PDP and declared: “APC is my new party. I will do all that is needed to be done towards ensuring that the party card of the All Progressives Congress is issued to me in no time.”
With their defection, the APC now holds a stronger position within the Rivers State Assembly. The lawmakers listed as joining Amaewhule included key figures such as the Deputy Speaker and other prominent members from constituencies like Akuku-Toru, Okrika, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Port Harcourt, Asari-Toru, and Degema.
This realignment comes amid ongoing political turbulence in Rivers State, where the PDP has governed since 1999 but has recently been riven by factional disputes. The crisis deepened following a conflict between lawmakers and Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s administration, which at one point led to the partial demolition of the Assembly complex and a declaration of state of emergency by President Tinubu.
