Wike defends his loyalty to the PDP and challenges critics who say he is doing things that hurt the party.
Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State, recently said something that caused a lot of controversy. He was defending his actions within the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and denying claims that he was doing things that were against the party. Wike openly said that every PDP member had recommended people to President Bola Tinubu for government jobs, making it clear that he was not the only one working with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Wike was angry about the claims that he had been working for the APC behind their backs during a public speech. Some people in the PDP have made these claims, and things have become more tense there, especially since the 2023 elections. Wike, who is known for speaking his mind, dared any PDP member to say in public that he was a mole. He said that his loyalty to the party would not change, even if he had personal or political differences with other members.
The governor of Rivers State said that working with the federal government shouldn’t be seen as betraying his state’s people, especially when it’s for their own good. He said that even though other PDP members had gone to Tinubu’s office with suggestions for appointments, he was being picked out for criticism. “Everyone in the PDP put forward people for appointments to Tinubu,” Wike said, insisting that his political moves were in the best interests of the party and not a betrayal.
People have been interested in Wike’s relationship with the PDP for a while, especially since he failed to get the party’s presidential ticket in 2023. There were rumours that this caused a rift between him and the party leaders. His meeting with President Tinubu soon after the elections made people think that he was moving towards the APC even more. But Wike has always denied doing anything wrong and said he is committed to the PDP’s ideals.
The governor also said that everything he did was clear and that his only goal was to keep Rivers State politically important at the national level. He said that people shouldn’t undervalue the benefits of working with the federal government and that PDP members who had already done so shouldn’t act like they didn’t. Wike wants to clear his name and shift the conversation to the bigger problem of party unity by facing these accusations head-on.
Many people in the PDP are confused by what Wike said. On the one hand, he is still one of the most important people in the party and has a lot of support in Rivers State and beyond. On the other hand, his close links with President Tinubu and the APC have made people in his own party suspicious. There may be less reason to worry after hearing what the governor said, but it also shows how hard it is for the PDP to change as a party after the November election.
The PDP is already split, and Wike’s bold challenge to his critics could either make things worse or lead to a more open conversation about the party’s future. Wike is still sure that what he did was right for both his state and the country.