The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said that the wave of defections from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) vindicates his earlier support for President Bola Tinubu and the APC.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony for the construction of the outer southern expressway in Abuja on Wednesday, Wike noted that many of the same PDP governors and party leaders who once criticised him for allegedly “destabilising” the party have now joined the APC themselves.
“I’ve been watching TV and social media — those who said I was working against the PDP and for the APC are now in the APC. If that was true, they should commend me for doing a good job leading the way,” Wike said.
His comments come just as major defections continue to rock the PDP. In the past 48 hours, Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah and Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri have both dumped the PDP for the APC.
Diri defected along with 19 members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, making him the fourth PDP governor to defect ahead of the 2027 elections.
These defections have reduced the number of PDP governors from 11 in October 2024 to just eight as of today.
Wike praised President Tinubu’s leadership for stabilising state finances across the country, claiming that states now have enough resources to pay salaries and fund projects without borrowing heavily.
“I was a governor for eight years. We used to run around banks for money. Sometimes, monthly allocations weren’t enough to pay salaries, let alone fund projects,” he recalled.
“Today, under President Tinubu, the story has changed. States now have resources. Banks are the ones chasing states, not the other way around. That’s the result of decisive leadership.”
Wike added that this new financial stability means governors will no longer leave behind debt burdens for their successors.
“If governors are now supporting the President because of this, I believe it’s worthwhile. This country needs visionary, purposeful leadership—leaders who will take bold decisions others avoided,” he said.
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