Wike justifies defection of Rivers Speaker, 15 lawmakers to APC

By : Azimazi Momoh Jimoh, Abuja

Date: 5 December 2025 3:25pm WAT

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Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said the defection of the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly and 15 other lawmakers from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) is a direct consequence of deepening factional divisions within the PDP.

Wike, who spoke with journalists after inspecting ongoing road projects in Abuja, said that although he was not informed by the lawmakers before their defection, they acted within their constitutional rights given the state of the party.

“It’s unfortunate. I have always said 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, members are allowed to leave,” he said. He stressed that despite the development, he remains a member of the PDP.

“I’m still in the PDP. 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 stated. Wike urged the PDP leadership to “put its house in order”, warning that continued internal disarray will weaken the party’s relevance and cohesion.

“At the end of the day, if you don’t put your house in order, it is the party that is losing. Those who left are free, but those who have remained in the party, we will continue to work together,” he said. Responding to rumours circulated days earlier that he had been arrested in France, Wike dismissed the reports as part of a series of politically motivated falsehoods aimed at distracting him from his duties.

“Well, what is important is that you remain focused. As you said, they were the ones that were arrested,” he said jokingly.

“On Saturday, we were inspecting Kubwa Road. People would like to distract you. But the moment you are focused, you know what you are doing, you will not be perturbed.” He recalled previous false claims about his health and whereabouts, noting that such distractions have become routine.

“Last time they said I was sick and flown overseas. This time, they said I was arrested in France. I’m doing my job,” he said. Wike emphasised that his primary concern is meeting the expectations of President Bola Tinubu and delivering on the mandate assigned to him.

“As far as my boss, who is the President, is happy with what I am doing, and I am focused on delivering the mandate, people will say all kinds of things,” he said. The minister added that sustained delivery of results will ultimately silence his critics.

“When they carry these kinds of lies, at a point, people will no longer read the junk they tell. Critics will always try to play politics; critics will always not be happy that you are doing well. So just focus. Do not be distracted at all,” he said.

Wike has, in recent months, intensified oversight of ongoing projects across the FCT, positioning infrastructural delivery as a central priority of his administration under the renewed security and development push of the Federal Government.

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