By Atoyebi Nike
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed claims that he engaged in anti-party activities during the 2023 general elections, insisting his support for President Bola Tinubu was consistent with principles of equity and justice.
Speaking during a live media parley on Monday, Wike explained that his decision to withdraw support from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, stemmed from the party leadership’s refusal to uphold a prior understanding that the presidency should rotate to the South.
“In 2023, did I not say I wouldn’t support their presidential candidate? Based on equity, justice, and fairness, the presidency should have gone to the South,” Wike said. “You can’t have the presidency and the national chairmanship concentrated in one region.”
He further clarified that his stance was not a defection, emphasizing that he did not join the All Progressives Congress (APC). “If I was playing anti-party, PDP wouldn’t have won the governorship or National Assembly seats in Rivers. We delivered 100 percent,” he added.
Wike also referenced the support given to the Labour Party by other prominent PDP leaders such as Chief Bode George. “George and others supported a Southern candidate, so what offence did I commit by backing Tinubu? I simply chose a candidate I believed had the chance to win,” he said.
He argued that his political decisions were strategic and pragmatic rather than sentimental or treacherous. “Even when some people backed Peter Obi, I maintained that he couldn’t win the election,” he said.
Wike’s remarks come amid continued internal friction within the PDP, as the party grapples with the fallout from the 2023 elections and questions around loyalty and leadership direction.
