The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has declared that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would collapse if he were to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Wike made the assertion during his end-of-year media chat in Port Harcourt on Monday while responding to questions about speculation surrounding his possible defection to the APC.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), several of Wike’s loyalists in the Rivers State House of Assembly, including Governor Siminalayi Fubara, recently dumped the PDP for the APC. Despite the developments, Wike maintained that he remains firmly in the PDP and has no plans to leave the party.

“Today, if I decide to decamp to the APC, that will be the end of the PDP. You will see leaders of the party across several states following me,” Wike said. “Watch what will happen in Benue, Plateau, Abia, Edo and other states.”

He stressed that the defection of some party members does not compel him to do the same. “The fact that people have left the PDP for the APC does not mean I must leave. I am still a member of the PDP,” he added.

Addressing concerns over the possible takeover of his political structure in Rivers State by Governor Fubara, Wike assured his supporters that his political influence in the state remains intact and unmatched.

He argued that Fubara’s move to the APC does not automatically confer leadership of the party in Rivers State on him, noting that party leadership is determined at the ward level, not by occupying the governorship position.

“There is nothing like 001 at the state level. Party membership starts from the ward. That is where leadership begins,” Wike explained.

The former Rivers governor further stated that political leadership goes beyond holding public office, insisting that it requires capacity, loyalty, and the ability to command genuine followership.

Wike also dismissed the significance of Fubara’s defection, noting that the governor moved alone without key political structures.

“If a governor defects, he goes with council chairmen, party leaders and members of the House of Assembly. In this case, those people had already left on their own,” he said.

He added that joining the APC does not automatically secure Fubara a second-term ticket, stressing that defection alone does not guarantee political advantage.

Wike’s remarks have further fueled political tensions in Rivers State amid ongoing realignments ahead of future elections.

Wike: PDP Would Crumble If I Defect to APC

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