A VIRAL post circulating on Facebook, claims that Rivers State governor Siminalayi Fubara has emerged as the governorship candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in Rivers State.
The post features a photograph of Siminalayi Fubara wearing a red cap and traditional attire, and with the caption:
“Breaking News: Gov. Fubara emerges Governorship Candidate of YPP in Rivers State. Boritics”
As of 26 September 2026, the post has garnered over 270 likes, and over 100 comments.
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CLAIM
Post claims that Rivers State governor Siminalayi Fubara has emerged as the governorship candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP).
FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING.
On 20 September 2026, Vanguard Newspaper reported that Blessing Fubara Snr. emerged as the YPP’s governorship candidate for the 2027 Rivers State election. The report identified him as a politician distinct from the incumbent governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
Blessing Fubara secured the YPP governorship ticket and is set to contest the election with Comrade Uwuma Awala as his running mate. The YPP ticket is therefore for Blessing Fubara Snr., not Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Siminalayi Fubara has also had a series of political developments in the run-up to the 2027 election.
In March 2025, Nigerian president Bola Tinubu declared a six-month state of emergency in Rivers, temporarily suspending Fubara, his deputy and members of the state house assembly following a political crisis. Fubara and his administration resumed office on 18 September, upon the expiration of emergency rule.
In January 2026, Punch reported fresh impeachment proceedings against Fubara during a plenary presided over by the Speaker of the Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, where Majority Leader, Major Jack, read out the notice of gross misconduct allegations. The seven allegations included the demolition of the Assembly complex, extra-budgetary spending, withholding funds for the Assembly Service Commission, and refusal to obey Supreme Court rulings on financial autonomy.
In May 2026, The ICIR reported Fubara’s withdrawal from the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primaries, citing the need for peace and stability in the state. Shortly after, in July, he aligned a political coalition led by Wike announcing his return to his ‘family’ and urging supporters to back APC governorship candidate Kingsley Chinda.
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However, the viral social media post paired a photograph of governor Siminalayi Fubara with news regarding Blessing Fubara Snr., taking advantage of their shared surname to mislead online users into believing the governor had again switched political parties
VERDICT
The claim that governor Siminalayi Fubara has emerged as the YPP governorship candidate in Rivers State is MISLEADING. The YPP candidate is Blessing Fubara Snr., an entirely different person.
Seasoned writer and literary curator, Zainab Abdulrasaq is a factchecker for The FactCheckHub in an effort to combat information disorder. She can be reached on IG @blackbookishgirl or zabdulrasaq@icirnigeria.org
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