Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has reaffirmed that he remains a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) despite the recent mass defection of lawmakers in the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Wike made the clarification on Friday in Abuja after inspecting ongoing road projects, reacting for the first time to the defection of 16 PDP lawmakers to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
During Friday’s plenary, the Speaker of the Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, alongside 15 other lawmakers, officially announced their move to the APC.
Amaewhule claimed that internal divisions within the PDP influenced their decision, adding that he was ready to work with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whom he said “means well for the country.”
Responding, Wike noted that although the lawmakers did not inform or consult him before leaving, they were exercising their constitutional freedom of association.
“I am still in the PDP, and it is not everybody that has left,” he said.
“I believe 16 or 17 have left out of 27. We still have about 10 members, and we will continue to work together.”
He stressed that those who left were free to take their decision just as those who stayed were free to remain committed to the party.
Wike described the development as “unfortunate,” attributing it to the ongoing factional crisis within the PDP.
According to him, the party’s constitution acknowledges that members may leave when the party becomes deeply divided.
He recalled warning the PDP leadership to address the internal crisis earlier, saying:
“I advised the leadership of the party to put the house in order. At the end of the day, if nothing is done, it is the party that suffers.”
Wike added that efforts were underway to unify the remaining PDP members in the Rivers Assembly to ensure the party remains functional and relevant as an opposition force.
