Former Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike, recently has met with the newly appointed national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje.
The Minister-designate made the move, following speculations that he was planning to join the ruling APC.
In a recent post on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, it was explained that Nyesom Wike’s visit to the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, was aimed at conveying congratulations for his successful election to the position.
It stated, “Former governor of Rivers state and a minister-designate, HE. Nyesom Wike, paid a congratulatory visit to the national chairman, HE. Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje at his residence in Abuja.”
The speculation about Nyesom Wike’s potential defection is gaining momentum due to statements made by his successor, Governor Simi Fubara of Rivers State. Shortly after assuming office on May 29, Governor Fubara urged Wike not to forsake him in case he decides to join the ruling party, adding to the fuel of the defection rumor.
“While we are seeing sign that it’s like you want to go over to the other side with everybody wishing that, please don’t be too far from me because I know that the sharks, the tigers are really around looking for what to hurt. So, being around would continue to guide and put my head straight for the purpose of this state,” Fubara had stated during a thanksgiving service organised in Wike’s honour.
Remember that Wike, along with a group of PDP Governors known as the G5, which includes Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Ugwanyi (Enugu), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), and Seyi Makinde (Oyo), opposed the PDP Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the presidential election that led to the election of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as President.
Therefore, Nyesom Wike’s nomination as a prospective minister didn’t catch people off guard, since many Nigerians perceive it as the repayment of a political favor, following his efforts for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election, despite being in a different party.