Defection to APC doesn’t guarantee Fubara second term — Wike

Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike has insisted that the recent defection of the Rivers State Governor Sir Siminalayi Fubara from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is not a guarantee him of opportunity to run for a second term as governor.

Speaking during his signature live on media chat at his residence in Port Harcourt, Wike referred to a certain agreement among politicians in Rivers State to argue that it was not enough for the governor to think that merely defecting to the APC and singing; “On Your Mandate We shall stand” was enough to absolve him of the conditions of agreement.

The FCT Minister who openly reaffirmed his membership of the PDP still refused to recognise Fubara, Governor of Rivers State, as the now leader of the APC in the state faulting the governor’s unilateral decision to join the APC.

He said; “I did not say that I have right to stop somebody from associating with any party or whatever and from what you said there’s nothing left for anybody to say, why you still want to stay in PDP because of the leadership tussle.

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“The only thing I said is that somebody thinking that when you say on your mandate we stand that gives you automatic ticket, that’s what I said that it doesn’t give you automatic ticket. You have to earn the ticket for you to be able to represent your people.

“So many people, so many governors have accused me of supporting Tinubu in order to destroy PDP but same people have also left PDP to APC. So I’m not surprised that my governor has left PDP to go to APC. It does not surprise me.

“He doesn’t need my clearance, I’m not the owner of APC so he doesn’t need my clearance. You saw that assembly people left PDP, you saw that all the council chairmen left for APC so it’s not surprising that the governor had to also leave for APC.

“My position on the defection of the governor’s defection has nothing to do with the President, let me make that clear. I had to go to tour to thank people. Remember, if you are not in the state and you are away there’s a likelihood that people might want to change their minds towards your leadership.

“If you find that you are away and people are still willing to remain with you, you should go back to them and say thank you for all this period. Because to show gratitude is one thing that God loves so much. And if you show gratitude there’s likelihood you will get more things.

“So many decisions were reached and the assembly and other parties played their own part, it is expected that the governor and his own people should play their own part. If they don’t do that and he expects that the only way he can achieve it, is that okay, let me join the party that the president belongs to, no.

“Supporting the President depends on certain factors, which are required, if you are supporting President it does not mean you have automatic ticket.

“What we are saying is that there was a truce and certain things were agreed and there was need for you to fulfill your own part.

Reacting on how Fubara’s defection to APC affects the party’s structure in the state Wike stated; “I don’t know about collapsing structure. The Chairmen of the council there are APC. And like I told you earlier, we have 23 local governments, 21 are APC while the other 2 are PDP. There’s likelihood that the other 2 will join APC and in doing that, working together, they have to collapse the structure they have.

The governor should know it, you have assembly to deal with, you have council chairmen to deal with, you have party chairmen to deal with, you have national assembly to deal with. But in this case, who? They just left on their own volition.

On the fear of conflict between he, a PDP member supporting the President and Governor Fubara an APC member, also supporting the president and who becomes the leader of the party, Wike stated; “Can I tell you something? What is 001, there’s nothing like 001 in the state. You register in your ward and your local government. It’s in your ward, so if you are 001, it’s in your ward. There’s nothing like I registered in the state as 001. Everybody registers in his ward. If you are the first person to register in your ward you are the 001.

Who becomes the leader of the party in the state? Wike retorts; “I don’t know about that. But if you say so, who is the leader of the APC in Lagos state? There are exceptions to the rule, if it’s a rule.

“Not because I’m a minister, but you must have something that makes you a leader. Today if I say I want to go to the APC, you see more other states joining. Leaders in others states who are in PDP will join. Why? Because I’m not a leader that is concentrated in the state, no.

“If today I say gentlemen, we have had enough of PDP, more of my colleagues will join, more people will decamp in Benue, more people will decamp in Plateau, more people will decamp in Abia, more people will decamp in Edo.

The FCT minister explained that the fact that most of his allies and supporters were leaving for the APC did not mean he too would leave, declaring that he was still a member of the PDP.