Professor Ngozi Odu, the Deputy Governor, has formally defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling APC. Her move, announced Monday, marks another significant realignment in the oil-rich state’s fractious political landscape just weeks after Governor Siminalayi Fubara exited the PDP for the APC.
Odu completed her official registration with the APC on Sunday at Akabuka, Ward 8, Unit 11 in the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, underscoring the trend of senior officials in the state executive abandoning the PDP in favour of the ruling party.
The defection was confirmed in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Monday by Owupele Benebo, Head of the Press Unit in the Office of the Deputy Governor, which was made available to journalists.
Addressing stakeholders shortly after her registration, Odu explained that her decision was driven by a desire to deepen the ongoing political realignment in the state, particularly the APC’s efforts to broaden its grassroots appeal following Governor Fubara’s earlier party switch.
“The move is to further strengthen the support base of President Bola Tinubu and Governor Siminalayi Fubara,” Odu said, noting that six zonal meetings had already been held to advance the plan and mobilise support for the ruling party.
She described the warm reception she received across Rivers’ six zones—Egi, Omoku, Osomini, Igburu, Egbema and Ndoni, as evidence of growing acceptance for the APC and appreciation for the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Fubara.
“Today, I came to sensitise the people, and everywhere we went, there were large crowds who came out to receive us. They said wherever I go, they will go with me; and wherever Governor Fubara and President Tinubu go, they will go,” she added.
The statement also noted that hundreds of members of the Labour Party in Ndoni formally declared their defection to the APC during the exercise, expressing enthusiasm at joining the party fold.
Odu’s move comes on the heels of Governor Fubara’s high-profile defection in December 2025, a decision he attributed to aligning with the national leadership and political realities ahead of the 2027 general elections. Fubara’s departure from the PDP followed months of internal party tensions and a controversial period in which a federal emergency rule was declared in the state.
The APC’s leadership has actively repositioned itself in Rivers, with the party’s National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, recently naming Fubara as the APC’s leader in the state, a move aimed at consolidating influence and unifying party structures ahead of future contests.
Analysts suggest that Odu’s defection, alongside that of the governor and several lawmakers, reflects broader political recalibrations in Nigeria, in which alignment with the ruling party at the centre is increasingly seen as essential for political viability at the state level.
With the deputy governor now in the APC fold, observers say Rivers’ executive branch is fully aligned with the ruling party’s agenda, raising questions about the future of the PDP in the state and its capacity to regroup before the 2027 polls. The shift also underscores the ruling party’s strategic efforts to absorb influential political figures from opposition ranks, a trend seen in other states as well.
