The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike, has declared that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would collapse the moment he defects to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Wike made this assertion on Monday during his end-of-the-year media briefing in Port Harcourt, which was monitored by Newday Reporters, while responding to questions on speculations surrounding his alleged plan to join the APC.
According to Newday Reporters, several of Wike’s loyalists in the Rivers State House of Assembly, including Governor Siminalayi Fubara, recently dumped the PDP for the APC.
Despite these developments, Wike maintained that he remains a committed member of the PDP and has no intention of leaving the party.
“Today, if I announce that I am defecting to the APC, that will be the end of the PDP. You will see leaders of the party in different states following me,” Wike said.
He added that if he openly declares that he has had enough of the PDP, mass defections would immediately occur in states such as Benue, Plateau, Abia, and Edo.
Wike dismissed the notion that the defection of some PDP members automatically means he must leave the party, stressing that such assumptions are incorrect.
“The mere fact that some people have left the PDP to join the APC does not mean I have to leave. That is not correct. I am still a member of the PDP,” he stated.
Speaking on speculations that Governor Fubara could take over his political structure in Rivers State, Wike reassured his supporters that his political relevance and influence in the state remain unquestionable.
He emphasized that he still firmly controls his political structure in Rivers State, noting that Fubara’s defection to the APC does not automatically make him the leader of the party in the state, unlike what is obtainable in states such as Lagos and Kano.
“There are exceptions to the rule. There is nothing like ‘001’ at the state level. Party registration is done at the ward level, not at the state level,” Wike explained.
“So, if there is any ‘001’, it is in the ward, because every party member is registered in his or her ward,” he added.
According to Newday Reporters, the FCT minister further stated that leadership goes beyond occupying the office of a governor, stressing that true leadership requires exceptional qualities that inspire loyalty and followership.
Wike also played down the significance of Governor Fubara’s defection to the APC, describing it as inconsequential and insisting that the governor joined the party alone.
He explained that when a sitting governor defects to another party, such a move is usually accompanied by local government chairmen, party leaders, and members of the state assembly.
“In this case, people had already left the PDP and joined the APC on their own. Therefore, defecting to the APC does not automatically guarantee him an automatic ticket for a second term,” Wike concluded.
