By Seyi Odewale
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a “self-inflicted injury,” insisting the Rivers State governor willingly chose the path that led to his exit from the party.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the PDP said Fubara’s move aligns with the legal maxim volenti non fit injuria — “to one who is willing, no harm is done.”
According to the party, the governor “cannot turn around to accuse the PDP or anyone else of abandonment,” noting that civil society groups, Nigerians, and the party stood firmly by him throughout his political crisis until he “capitulated.”
The PDP added that while individuals facing existential political threats may experience “temporary amnesia,” Fubara should instead show gratitude to those who defended him.
It also expressed sympathy, warning that the governor must avoid “Stockholm Syndrome, where a victim falls in love with his captor.”
The statement went further to portray the Rivers crisis as evidence of a democracy weakened by overbearing political actors who use federal might to suppress opponents.
It argued that such tendencies threaten democratic norms and must be condemned by all well-meaning Nigerians.
Reaffirming its stance, the PDP accused the ruling APC of pursuing a one-party state and shrinking Nigeria’s political space.
It urged citizens and the international community to resist what it described as a drift toward “electoral authoritarianism.”
