The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has broken his silence on the mass defection that rocked the Rivers State House of Assembly, declaring that the lawmakers who crossed over to the All Progressives Congress (APC) were within their rights to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Speaking to journalists during an inspection of an ongoing interchange bridge linking Maitama, Gishiri, Jahi and Gwarimpa in Abuja, Wike said his camp would now focus on working with the lawmakers who chose to stay loyal to the PDP.
Calling the departure of the groupled by Speaker Martins Amaewhule as “unfortunate,” Wike blamed the internal crisis within the PDP for triggering the exodus.
“Well, it’s unfortunate. I have always said that everybody has the right to make a choice. The party is fully factionalised. And the requirement of the Constitution is that when a party is factionalised, they are allowed to leave the party.
“You will see that it’s not everybody who has left. I believe 16 or 17 of them have left out of 27. We still have a good number, about 10, and we will continue to work together,” he said, according to a statement signed by his media aide, Lere Olayinka.
Wike dismissed claims that he orchestrated or was briefed on the defections.
“They never told me, but they have a right,” he said.
Reaffirming his loyalty to the PDP, the former Rivers governor urged the party leadership to urgently resolve its internal crisis.
“I’m still in the PDP. So those who have remained, we’ll continue to work together. And I have said to the party, ‘Put your house in order. Because at the end of the day, if you don’t put your house in order, it’s the party that will lose’.
“And we still ask the party to work together to see how the remaining members will be a relevant opposition. But they chose not to.
“So for me, those who have left are free. But those who remain in the party, we will continue to work together,” he added.
The political tremor hit Rivers on Friday after 17 lawmakers, Amaewhule included, dumped the PDP during plenary, citing deepening divisions within the party.
The Speaker openly declared support for President Bola Tinubu, insisting the President “means well for the country.”
