The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has defended his support for President Bola Tinubu during the 2023 general elections, insisting that his actions did not amount to anti-party behaviour.
Speaking during a live media parley on Monday, Wike addressed long-standing accusations that he worked against his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the last election. He maintained that his decision was rooted in principles of equity, justice, and fairness.
“In 2023, I made it clear that I wouldn’t support the PDP presidential candidate,” Wike said. “My stance was based on fairness. You can’t have both the presidential ticket and the national chairmanship in the same region. We demanded balance—one for the North, one for the South. But they dismissed our concerns because they thought Atiku would win.”
Wike explained that he stood firm in his belief that the presidency should rotate to the South, and when the party leadership failed to uphold that agreement, he withdrew his support.
“People ask why I didn’t defect to the APC. But among all the PDP governors at that time, who delivered 100 percent for the party in their states? Who produced a governor and won all National Assembly seats? I did that in Rivers State. Ask others how many senators they delivered,” he stated.
Addressing criticism over his support for Tinubu, Wike highlighted that other southern leaders also backed different candidates. “Bode George supported the Labour Party. I didn’t. I’m a realist. I told them Obi couldn’t win, and I was right. So we agreed on a Southern candidate, and I made my choice.”
He argued that if he were truly guilty of anti-party conduct, the PDP would not have performed as well as it did in Rivers State. “Despite supporting Tinubu, PDP won the governorship and legislative seats in Rivers. That’s not anti-party—it’s political strategy,” Wike added.
The minister’s comments come amid continued debate within the PDP over the conduct of some of its members during the last general elections and efforts to rebuild party unity ahead of future contests.
