Fubara Not Safe In APC – Tonye Cole Raises Alarm

Former governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Tonye Cole, has said that the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, cannot be recognised as a lawful member of the APC in Rivers.

Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television, Cole stated that Fubara aligned himself with the wrong faction.

Abia Radio News reports that Fubara defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC in December 2025, a move publicly welcomed by the party’s national leadership.

He was subsequently presented with his APC membership card by Tony Okocha, who leads a party faction in Rivers.

However, Cole stated that the Emeka Beke-led group remains the legitimate leadership of the APC in Rivers.

Cole said the governor made the “wrong” choice by joining the Okocha faction.

He insisted that Fubara cannot be lawfully recognised as a member of the APC in Rivers until he aligns with the Beke-led faction.

Cole, however, noted that Fubara’s defection itself was a smart political decision.

He said, “Who is welcoming him (Fubara) to the APC? Who is the one issuing him the membership card? Where is he registered under? Now, Tony Okocha is not a legally recognised faction of the APC, and that is where the problem is.

“Even though he (Fubara) is recognised nationally as a member of the APC, the group that has welcomed him is not legally recognised.

“He should come. We will recognise and welcome him because we have the legal standing to do so. He is not safe where he is.”

Cole warned that the APC must avoid a repeat of the 2019 election crisis, when a court barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the party’s candidates in Rivers State.