Nyesom Wike, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and an ally of President Bola Tinubu, has declared that he will join the All Progressives Congress (APC) only when he chooses, and he is not afraid of leaving the PDP.
Wike, the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, made it clear that his decision to switch parties is solely his own, dismissing any notion of fear in doing so.
The former Rivers governor’s relationship with his party has been tense since the last general elections, where he opposed the PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and instead supported Tinubu, the APC candidate.
Since then, he has been openly critical of PDP leaders, including Bala Mohammed, and has played a role in the political crisis in his home state.
Explaining his stance, Wike noted that he openly expressed his disapproval of Atiku’s candidacy, citing issues of fairness and a lack of justice within the PDP.
He said, “Now at my level, I came out in this country, and I said I was not going to support your presidency (Atiku’s presidency) because you’re not fair; there’s no justice, no equity as far as PDP was concerned.”
“I didn’t hide it. I’m not like them, to come out in the day and say a different thing, then come out at night and say something else. No. Nigerians know me; I’ll say something, I’ll do it. What I will not do, I will not do,” he added.
Wike made it clear he has no regrets about his decision.
“I came out and said I was not going to support this, and I have no regrets about it,” he stated.
Addressing speculations about joining the APC, Wike clarified that he has never discussed such a move with President Tinubu or anyone else.
“The President knows I never spoke with the President any day, and said, look, ‘I’ll go to APC.’ I never told anybody that, and nobody should think that I’m afraid that if I want to join APC, I cannot join APC,” he said confidently.
He questioned anyone who would try to intimidate him, saying, “Who’s that person that I’ll be afraid of? Who? Who is that person in PDP?”