The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has declared that the Peoples Democratic Party would suffer a major collapse if he were to leave the party for the All Progressives Congress.
Wike made the statement during his end-of-year media briefing held in Port Harcourt on Monday, where he addressed speculations about a possible defection to the ruling party.
Several of Wike’s political allies in the Rivers State House of Assembly, including Governor Siminalayi Fubara, recently dumped the PDP for the APC. Despite this development, the former Rivers governor maintained that he has no plans to abandon the PDP.
“Today, if I say I want to decamp to APC, that will be the end of PDP. You will see leaders of the party in other states who will join me.
“If today I say, gentlemen, look, we have had enough of PDP, watch those who will decamp in Benue; watch those who will decamp in Plateau, in Abia, in Edo,” he said.
Wike stressed that the exit of some PDP members does not compel him to follow suit, adding, “But the mere fact that people have left PDP for APC does not mean I have to leave. No, it is not correct. I am still a member of PDP.”
Addressing concerns about Governor Fubara taking over his political structure in Rivers State, Wike assured his supporters that his influence in the state remains intact. He argued that Fubara’s move to the APC does not automatically make him the party’s leader in Rivers, unlike what is obtainable in some other states.
“There are exceptions to the rule. There is nothing like 001 in the state; you register in your ward and not at the state level.
“So, if there is 001, it is in your ward, because every party member registers in his ward,” Wike said.
The FCT minister further noted that leadership goes beyond occupying the office of governor, insisting that certain qualities are required to command loyalty and followership.
He also downplayed the political weight of Fubara’s defection, saying the governor did not move with key political stakeholders.
“If a governor is moving to another party, he moves with council chairmen, party leaders, and members of the state assembly.
“In his case, the people had already left PDP and joined APC on their own; as such, defecting to APC doesn’t guarantee him an automatic ticket for a second tenure,” Wike said.
