In a pointed counter to his critics, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, yesterday turned long-standing accusations of disloyalty on their head, noting that those who once accused him of destabilising the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have themselves defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
With a hint of irony, Wike cast the defections as vindication of his political choices, saying the defectors should rather commend him for “clearing the path” and aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Wike’s remarks came amid the defections of PDP chieftains, including Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah, his Bayelsa counterpart, Duoye Diri, and former National Youth Leader of the party, Sunday Udeh-Okoye, to the APC.
He said the ongoing political realignments showed that members of both parties were working together in support of President Tinubu’s administration.
According to Wike: “It has never been like this before. Whichever party you belong to, all of them have always worked together to support this administration.
“I’m very happy that very soon I will speak to Nigerians. I have been watching on daily television and social media, people who said I want to destabilise the party. I’m working for APC, and all of them are now in APC.
“So they should commend me for working for where they are heading to. I should be commended for doing a good job for them.”
Wike, a former Rivers State governor and key member of the G-5 group of aggrieved PDP governors, described the current political shifts as a direct result of President Tinubu’s “visionary and pragmatic leadership,” which he said had reset the nation’s fiscal and infrastructural direction.
“In the past, governors were running from bank to bank to fund projects and pay salaries. Today, because of the leadership of one man, banks are the ones running to states,” Wike said.
“President Tinubu has created the financial space for every state and the FCT to not only meet salary obligations but also execute meaningful projects.
“No governor today can claim they cannot pay salaries or execute projects. The excuse is gone. The economic reforms, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy, were tough decisions many leaders before him avoided. But President Tinubu took the bold step, and today, the results are becoming evident.”
The FCT Minister spoke at the flag-off of the construction of the main carriageways of the Outer Southern Expressway (OSEX) from Ring Road I Junction to Ring Road II Junction along Wasa Road, near Shoprite Junction, in the Apo area of Abuja.
Diri dumps PDP after consultations, says exit for ‘obvious reasons’
This came as Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, yesterday ended weeks of speculation over his political future as he formally announced his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party, citing “obvious reasons.”
Diri made the announcement during an expanded State Executive Council meeting held at Government House, Yenagoa.
Present at the meeting were the Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Abraham Ingobere; his deputy, Michael Ogbere; the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Minority Leader, Edward Brigidi; and seven other lawmakers.
A statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, quoted Diri as saying that the decision followed extensive consultations with stakeholders and leaders across the state.
He thanked his supporters for their loyalty and urged them to continue standing by his administration as it works to build a stronger Bayelsa.
“Today, I wish to address a matter that has been the subject of speculation and debate across party lines in Bayelsa State and beyond. We allowed the speculations. But while it lasted, we were also doing our consultation,” Diri said.
“After extensive consultation, today, the 15th day of October 2025, I wish to formally notify you that in keeping with the extant protocols, I, Governor Douye Diri, do hereby resign my membership of the Peoples Democratic Party.
“I am not resigning alone, as you can see. I am here with Mr Speaker, Deputy Speaker and all the members of our party (in the Assembly) who are with me on this.
“So, today, I have formally resigned from the PDP for very obvious reasons.”
Speaking at the event, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Abraham Ingobere, said he, his deputy, and other PDP, APGA and APC members of the assembly fully aligned with the governor’s decision to quit the party.
Ingobere described Diri as the leader of the state’s political structure and noted that 21 of the 24 lawmakers in the assembly were in full support of his move.
He commended the governor for taking what he described as a timely and strategic decision.
PDP cries foul, says APC ‘investing heavily’ to wreck opposition
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress of allegedly investing heavily in efforts to destabilise its ranks ahead of the opposition party’s national convention scheduled for November.
The PDP alleged that the APC was working in concert with some of its top-ranking members to undermine its internal cohesion and truncate its future prospects.
“The government is working very hard to turn the country into a one-party state. They’re investing heavily in truncating the PDP. But I think they are erring because there is new hope from the PDP. It is very clear there’s a hand of the government in all that is happening in PDP,” said PDP Chairman in Kano, Yusuf Ado Kibiya.
Reacting to recent developments within the party, Kibiya expressed regret over the sudden postponement of the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, insisting that the internal scuffle was being fuelled by agents of the APC.
Speaking from Abuja, Kibiya accused the PDP National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, of attempting to undermine the authority of the acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, during an open court proceeding.
The Kano chairman questioned why the national legal adviser failed to inform the party leadership about a legal action instituted against the party, only to appear in court after the leadership had already engaged a private legal team.
“How can you go and compromise and then allow it to go on with the case? So the point is not fighting for power. No, the issue is there was a court case instituted by some of the members of PDP under his watch. He didn’t inform the party leadership and now they are doing underground work to undermine the party,” he said.
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“We were supposed to meet today for the NEC meeting, and the issues to be discussed were very clear. It had to do with the convention in November, and everything was okay except for a few issues that surfaced. Then, a few members of the working committee who connived with outsiders wanted to derail the process.
“When you see some working committee members of the party who all along have been part of the NEC, and then they decided to derail, you will know that such individuals have been bought over.”
On the recent defection of Enugu and Bayelsa State governors to the APC, Kibiya said the move did not come as a surprise, noting that several indicators had long pointed to their departure.
He, however, maintained that the defections would not deter voters in the affected states from supporting the PDP, insisting that the 2027 elections would be “between the electorate and the APC.”
“It’s not a shocker. All of them, we knew they were going. Anybody in PDP knows. We are glad they are gone because you can’t deal with people with double-edged swords. The governors have compromised.
“But I can tell you that the governors are not the electorates. This is where people are making this mistake. The history is there. If Peter had become a governor or a senator in his place, it would have been wonderful. So this thinking of a governor is all part of it. So good riddance to bad rubbish. That’s all I’m concerned about,” Kibiya said.
The Guardian
