By Ismaila Jimoh, Abuja
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Nyesom Wike has described the defection of 16 Rivers State House of Assembly members including the Speaker from the People’s Democractic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress(APC) as a result of failure of leadership of their former party to listen to words of advice from people like him on the need to put the house in order.
The Minister stated this while addressing journalists after inspecting the ongoing construction of interchange bridge linking Maitama, Gishiri, Jahi and Maitama in Abuja.
Wike described the development as “unfortunate,” saying that PDP internal crisis contributed in no small way to the action took by the decampee lawmakers.
He however said his camp still remain with the People’s Democractic Party and promised to continue working with the remaining lawmakers that are still loyal to the party.
“I’m still in the PDP. So those who have remained, we’ll continue to work together. And I have said to the party, put your house in order. Because at the end of the day, if you don’t put your house in order, it’s the party that will lose.
“Well, it’s unfortunate. I have always said that everybody has the right to make a choice. The party is fully factionalised. And the requirement of the Constitution is that when a party is factionalised, they are allowed to leave the party.
“You will see that it’s not everybody that has left. I believe 16 or 17 of them have left out of 27. We still have a good number, about 10, and we will continue to work together. They never told me, but they have a right,” he said.
“And we still ask the party to work together to see how the remaining members will be a relevant opposition. But they chose not to. So for me, those who have left are free. But those who remain in the party, we will continue to work together,” he added.
16 lawmakers, including Speaker Martins Amaewhule,had announced on Friday of their defection from the PDP to the ruling All Progressives Congress during a plenary session of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Citing divisions in the PDP as the reason for the defection, Amaewhule said he was now a member of the APC and would “join hands with Mr President,” noting that the President “means well for the country.”
