Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Rivers State chapter have formally obtained Expression of Interest and Nomination forms on behalf of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, positioning him for a second term in office.
The forms were procured by a coalition of elders, leaders, and party faithful drawn from across the state’s diverse geopolitical zones, a gesture that, according to those involved, reflects a groundswell of grassroots support for the incumbent governor and a collective desire for continuity of his administration’s development agenda.
Leading the delegation was Awaji-Inombek Abiante, the federal lawmaker representing the Andoni/Opobo-Nkoro Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. Speaking to journalists after the procurement exercise, Abiante was categorical in framing the move not as a political maneuver but as an expression of democratic tradition.
“This is not new. Even at the national level, stakeholders have, in the past, procured nomination forms for preferred candidates. It is a democratic tradition rooted in collective will,” Abiante said, visibly at ease with the optics of the occasion.
“It is not about how deep your pocket is. It is about what the people feel. And the people of Rivers State have made their position clear: they want continuity,” he added.
The congressman was at pains to stress that Governor Fubara neither solicited nor orchestrated the procurement, underscoring that the initiative was entirely people-driven.
“He did not send us. This is the voice of the people speaking through their leaders. We have come on their behalf. The people have contributed their resources to make this happen. He cannot turn his back on them. Rivers’ people are firmly behind him.”
The procurement comes approximately three years into Fubara’s first term, a tenure that has been anything but uneventful. The governor, who assumed office in May 2023, has navigated one of the most turbulent political landscapes in Rivers State’s recent history, including a protracted and highly publicized power struggle that at various points threatened the stability of his administration.
That the same APC structure, long a theater of internal tension, is now rallying behind him with such a public show of solidarity is itself a significant political statement.
Abiante pointed to tangible developmental gains as the foundation of the stakeholders’ confidence. He highlighted infrastructure improvements, expanded access to previously isolated communities, and new economic opportunities, particularly in the state’s vast riverine territories, as hallmarks of Fubara’s three-year stewardship.
“In places like Andoni, access was a long-standing challenge. Within months, that narrative changed. Communities once cut off are now connected and positioned to contribute meaningfully to the blue economy,” Abiante said, referencing the maritime and aquatic resource sector that holds enormous untapped potential for coastal communities in Rivers State.
Whether Fubara will formally accept the forms and declare his intention to seek re-election remains to be seen. His office had not issued an official statement at the time of this report.
However, political observers say the governor’s silence on the matter is unlikely to last long, particularly as the 2027 campaign season draws steadily nearer.
For now, the ball appears firmly in Fubara’s court. With his party’s stakeholders publicly committing their time, solidarity, and financial resources to his potential re-election bid, the political calculus in Rivers State appears to be shifting and shifting fast.
Should Fubara accept the nomination, he would be seeking a second and final term under Nigeria’s constitutional arrangement, which limits state governors to two terms of four years each. A second term, his allies argue, would provide the runway needed to consolidate the developmental strides they claim have already begun to transform communities across the state.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Rivers State APC stakeholders, led by federal lawmaker Awaji-Inombek Abiante, have procured Expression of Interest and Nomination forms for Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s 2027 re-election bid, a move they insist is entirely people-driven and unsolicited by the governor himself.
