Rivers Assembly Members’ Defection Unfortunate, Lawmakers Free To Leave PDP — Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Friday said the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were free to leave.

Wike stated this while addressing journalists after inspecting the ongoing construction of an interchange bridge connecting Maitama, Gishiri, Jahi, and Gwarimpa in Abuja.

READ ALSO: UPDATED: Rivers Speaker, 16 Other Assembly Members Defect To APC From PDP

He said that his camp would continue to work with the remaining lawmakers still loyal to the party.

The minister described the departure of the lawmakers as “unfortunate,” adding that the party’s internal crisis contributed to their exit.

“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 was quoted as saying in a statement by his media aide, Lere Olayinka.

But Wike denied knowing about the planned defections.

“They never told me, but they have a right,” he said.

The former Rivers State governor also stated that he remained in the PDP, urging the party to put its house in order.

“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,” the minister added.

Seventeen lawmakers, including the Speaker, Martins Amaewhule, announced their defection from the PDP to the ruling APC during a plenary session of the House of Assembly on Friday.

Amaewhule, who cited divisions in the PDP as the reason for the defection, said he would support President Bola Tinubu.

According to the Speaker, the President “means well for the country”.