August 21, (THEWILL) – Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, says he has no intention of leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Speaking on Wednesday, during a chat with journalists to mark his first anniversary as FCT Minister, the former Rivers governor vowed to remain in the party and confront any challenges.
Wike has been at the forefront of a power struggle with the party’s national leadership, as well as his successor, Governor Siminalyi Fubara.
On Tuesday, members of the PDP BoT, led by its Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wagbara, paid a visit to Governor Fubara at the Government House in Port Harcourt.
“I want to thank you for taking all the trouble to come to Rivers State to see the governor and the supporters of the party genuinely. We that are here are the undiluted members of the PDP”, Fubara told his guests.
Also on Tuesday, Chief Edwin Clark, a former Federal Commissioner for Information, asked the PDP National Chairman, Iliya Damagun, to expel Wike from the party to save it from destruction.
In an open letter to Damagun, Clark stated: “I am writing to bring to your attention the activities of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, Nyesom Wike, who is using his closeness to President Bola Tinubu to intimidate the Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and the party.”
Clark, who is also the leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum and the Southern and Middle-Belt Leaders Forum, said: “I cannot stand by and allow the minister to continue to hound the governor. If we do not stop him, the matter will consume him, Wike, and their cohorts.”
When asked on Wednesday, if he sees himself leaving the PDP in the future, Wike said, “Anybody who knows me knows too well if I want to join APC today… when I was then PDP and I said ‘look, I will not support your presidential candidate’, Did I say it secretly? Or those people that are saying those things did they bring one member that won the election?
“I don’t run away from any fight. I will stay and fight it out. Who am I going to run from? The vampires? I cannot do that!”, he said.
The minister also highlighted his commitment to principle, stating, “Did PDP not win (in Rivers State)? I stood my ground in terms of the principle that if this is not done we will not accept it. People must know you for something. Integrity is very important. Forget about those that are saying this, they are afraid of my face.”
