Tonye Cole faults Fubara’s APC defection, insists Rivers governor joined ‘illegal’ faction

Former governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Tonye Cole, has alleged that Governor Siminalayi Fubara joined an “illegal” faction of the party following his recent defection.

Speaking during a recent interview on Channels Television, Cole said the Emeka Beke-led executive is the only legally recognised leadership of the APC in Rivers State, insisting that any other faction lacks legal standing.

Fubara defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC in December 2025 and was formally received by the party’s national leadership. He was subsequently presented with an APC membership card by Tony Okocha, who claims to be a factional chairman of the party in the state.

Cole, however, argued that the governor’s move was flawed because he aligned with the wrong faction. According to him, Fubara cannot be regarded as a valid APC member in Rivers until he registers under the Beke-led faction, which he said has been affirmed by the courts.

While describing Fubara’s defection as a smart political decision welcomed by members of the ruling party, Cole maintained that the process was improperly handled at the state level. Cole questioned the authority of those who received Fubara into the party, asking under which legally recognised structure the governor was registered and who issued his membership card.

He said the legal dispute that followed the APC primaries in Rivers had been resolved in favour of the faction that produced him as the party’s governorship candidate, adding that the court ruling conferred legitimacy on the Beke-led structure.

Although acknowledging that Fubara is recognised nationally as an APC member, Cole warned that the faction that welcomed him in Rivers is not legally recognised, creating potential complications.

He urged the governor to align with the lawful party leadership in the state, saying that was the only way his membership could be properly validated. Cole also cautioned the APC against repeating the mistakes of the 2019 elections, when internal disputes led a court to bar the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the party’s candidates in Rivers State.