Minster of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike has denied playing anti-party politics during the 2023 general election.
Wike made this clarification during his monthly media parley in Abuja on Monday.
According to him, before the People’s Democratic Party primary, he urged the party to zone to the south, saying that PDP cannot have a presidential candidate and party national chairman from the same region.
He noted that leadership of the party supported a southern candidate, citing Chief Bode George’s support for Peter Obi of the Labour Party.
Be also admitted to supporting President Bola Tinubu to win Rivers State during the election.
However, the Minister said if he had played anti-party politics, the PDP would not have won governorship and all Rivers seats at the National Assembly.
Wike’s speech at the media parley
In his words, according to the Punch Newspaper: “In 2023, did I not tell you that I wouldn’t support their presidential candidate? I said, based on equity, justice, and fairness, the presidency should go to the South because you can’t have that and the national chairman at the same time.
“You therefore take one and give us one. Believing that Atiku would win, they said to hell (with it), and I said I was not going to support.
“So why didn’t I leave the party and join the APC? Of all of us then and the PDP governors today, who produced National Assembly 100 percent? Who produced a governor? Ask them in their various states how many senators they have.
“Bode George supported the Labour Party, and I said I wouldn’t support (Obi). I’m a politician, and I said even if you support this man (Obi), he can’t win the election, so let’s forget about sentiment.
“So, George and everybody agreed to support a Southern candidate, we all agreed.
“So what offence did I commit by supporting Tinubu under the APC? If I was playing anti-party, the PDP wouldn’t have won the governorship, NASS seats and Rivers was the only state that gave the PDP that kind of victory.”
Wike is still a member of the PDP but has promised to work for the re-election of Tinubu in 2027 general election.
