Can Wike Be Sacked From PDP? FCT Minister Drops Fire

• Nyesom Wike, the FCT Minister, has insisted that he remains a member of the PDP while reacting to the call for his expulsion from the party
• Wike, in a media chat on Monday, June 2, said he had not seen anyone in the party who had the guts to tell him that he was no longer a member of the PDP
• The minister insisted that the PDP was the party he had served for many years and that he was ready to challenge anyone to mention their contributions to the party

Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has replied to the critics calling for his expulsion from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying that no one has the effrontery or authority to make such a decision against him in the party he had served for years.

The minister commented while speaking during a media chat in Abuja on Monday, June 2, saying, “I am still in the PDP. I worked hard for the party." Wike, a two-term governor of Rivers, added that he had not seen anyone who would challenge him and told him that he was not a member of the PDP; he would ask for the person's contribution to the party.

PDP Crisis: Wike replies to expulsion call

Wike's comment came as tension grows in the leading opposition over his appointment in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government and his perceived political position. However, the minister made it clear that he remains loyal to the PDP and he can't be pushed out easily.

The PDP crisis started after its presidential primary, when the northern-dominated PDP leadership ignored and rejected the southern bloc's call for the chairmanship position ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

Origin of the PDP crisis

Atiku Abubakar, the party's flagbearer in the election, also did not support the call, which led to the protest of five governors from the south, including Wike, to work against him in the poll. Atiku lost the election to Bola Tinubu of APC by a close to two million votes.

Following the outcome of the election, Atiku's camp has led the call for Wike and other governors, of whom three were out of power, to be expelled from the party. However, the call for Wike's expulsion never dies down with his appointment as a minister under the APC government.

The insistence on Wike's expulsion from the PDP also escalated with the Rivers state crisis, where he had been a strong opposition to his successor, Siminalayi Fubara, whom he accused of moving to hijack his political structure in the state. His rift with Fubara led to the declaration of a state of emergency in the state by Tinubu.

The video of Wike's comment is here:

Kingibe tackles Wike

Legit.ng earlier reported that Nyesom Wike, the minister of the FCT, has again been dragged by the FCT Senator, Ireti Kingibe, over the sealing of some properties by the FCTA for failure to pay ground rents.

Senator Kingibe expressed concerns about the FCTA action, stating that the law did not recognise seizing, sealing and revocation as a penalty for a default in ground rent.

Recall that the Wike-led FCTA commenced the sealing of properties in Abuja over failure to pay ground rent, which spanned 10 to 40 years.

Source: Legit.ng