The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reacted to the defection of Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, to the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing it as an act of “self-inflicted injury.”
In a statement signed by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the party said Governor Fubara’s move did not come as a surprise, noting that all events leading to his defection were “voluntarily” orchestrated by the governor himself.
The party referenced the legal maxim volenti non fit injuria—“to one who is willing, no harm is done”—stating that the governor willingly chose the path that led to his departure and therefore cannot accuse the party or anyone else of failing to protect him.
The PDP maintained that throughout the political crisis in Rivers State, it stood firmly by the governor, alongside civil society groups and concerned Nigerians who defended him until he “capitulated.” The party expressed pity for the governor, cautioning against what it described as “Stockholm Syndrome,” where a victim sympathizes with those causing his predicament.
The statement further condemned what it called a dangerous trend in Nigeria’s democracy, where individuals appear stronger than political institutions and allegedly deploy federal power to suppress opponents.
According to the PDP, the situation in Rivers State reflects a broader threat to democratic norms, warning that the ruling APC’s “drive toward a one-party state” poses a grave danger to Nigeria’s political stability.
The party urged Nigerians and the international community to join in resisting what it termed “the constriction of the political space and the drift toward electoral authoritarianism.”
