APC Explains Delay in Fubara’s Formal Reception, Cites Ramadan Sensitivities

|By Chinwendu Nwani

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, has clarified why Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, is yet to be formally received into the ruling party.

Speaking on TVC Politics, Yilwatda said the delay was a deliberate and strategic decision linked to the approaching Ramadan fast and the need to respect religious sensitivities in Northern Nigeria.

He explained that the party prioritised the formal reception of governors from the North who recently defected to the APC, noting that Ramadan is a deeply sensitive period for the predominantly Muslim population in the region.

According to him, the party opted to conclude major political engagements in the North before the commencement of the fasting period, as activities during Ramadan require caution and cultural awareness.

“We decided to clear the North first because Ramadan is coming, and most of the people in the North are Muslims,” Yilwatda said.
“Ramadan is a very sensitive period, so we pleaded that we finish with the northern governors who defected before moving to the South.”

The APC chairman stressed that the decision was purely strategic and anchored on respect for Nigeria’s religious and cultural diversity, dismissing claims that the delay was connected to internal party control issues in Rivers State.

He also rejected suggestions that the development had anything to do with the influence of former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, insisting that Governor Fubara’s position within the party remained unaffected.

“It has nothing to do with Sim not having control. It is about strategy and understanding the sensitivities of each community,” he added.

Yilwatda assured party members and supporters that Governor Fubara would be formally welcomed into the APC once the party concludes its activities in the North.