PDP slams Fubara over defection, Says Rivers Gov ‘inflicted injury on himself’

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reacted to the defection of Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, describing his move to the ruling party as a “self-inflicted injury” and insisting that he alone is responsible for the political path that led to his exit.

This was contained in a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Comrade Ini Ememobong.

The statement reads partly: “This news, as pitiful as it is, is an exemplar of the old legal maxim Volenti non fit injuria, meaning ‘to one who is willing, no harm can be done’.

“Everyone who has followed the developments will recall that the Governor willingly travelled the path that took him to this destination. Having done so voluntarily, he cannot turn around and accuse our party or any other group of abandoning him.

“It is our prayer that the Governor should not suffer from Stockholm Syndrome, where a victim falls in love with his captor. In all, despite these, we pity the Governor and wish him well.

“The Rivers situation is a testament to the dysfunctional nature of our democracy, where individuals are bigger and stronger than institutions and can use the apparatus of the Federal Government to bring opponents to their knees.”

The PDP maintained that the governor enjoyed widespread defence from civil society groups, Nigerians and the party throughout his political crisis, insisting that he alone chose the course that resulted in his defection.

The statement added that Fubara’s exit reflected a broader problem within Nigeria’s political landscape, where institutions are weakened and political actors rely on federal power to suppress opposition.

The party warned that such tendencies pose a grave threat to democratic stability and political pluralism.

It further accused the ruling All Progressives Congress of attempting to shrink the political space in pursuit of a one-party state, warning that Nigeria is inching dangerously toward electoral authoritarianism.

The PDP urged Nigerians and the international community to resist the “progressive decline of democratic norms” and defend the country’s democracy from what it described as sustained attacks by the ruling establishment.