By John Paul
As Rivers people prepare to welcome Governor Siminalayi Fubara back to office tomorrow after six months of suspension, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state has said it is ready to receive him into its fold.
Rivers APC spokesman, Darlington Nwauju, extended the invitation on Tuesday, urging Fubara to consider joining the ruling party upon his reinstatement.
“If I were the governor of Rivers State, on my return on Thursday, I would announce my defection to the All Progressives Congress. I think the governor should join the APC, and we would gladly receive him into our party,” Nwauju said.
When asked if Fubara would automatically assume leadership of the APC in Rivers should he defect, Nwauju replied in the affirmative.
“By the convention of our party, if he joins the All Progressives Congress, he becomes the leader of the party,” he stated.
Nwauju also weighed in on the six-month administration of the state under Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (rtd.), saying the APC had not called for a probe of his stewardship.
“APC has not officially demanded that Ibas give an account of his stewardship for the past six months. The budget approval he got was from the National Assembly. A committee from the House of Representatives was overseeing the emergency period. I expect them to do due diligence and release their findings,” he explained.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu and Governor Fubara returned to Nigeria on Tuesday, ahead of the formal transition from emergency administration back to democratic rule in Rivers State.
Tinubu, who cut short his vacation in France and the UK, is expected to announce Fubara’s reinstatement today.