Join APC if you want Tinubu’s victory – APC chieftain tells Wike
The All Progressives Congress (APC) chairman in Imo, Chief Austin Onyedebelu, has urged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to formally join the party.
Onyedebelu said this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Thursday.
He said if he genuinely wants to secure President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, he would not hesitate to join the president’s party.
A political rift has emerged between the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), led by Gov. Hope Uzodimma of Imo, and the Wike-floated Rainbow Coalition.
While Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says the coalition is a channel to secure Tinubu’s second term, the Uzodimma group perceives it as capable of weakening APC in the future.
The Imo APC chairman, who described Wike as a threat to Nigeria’s democracy, said the minister could not belong to the PDP and the APC simultaneously.
“There is no provision in the Electoral Act that says one can be two political parties at the same time.
“If you want to work for Mr President, you join his train. You cannot be at the end of two roads and say you are heading east,” he said.
Onyedebelu accused Wike of using the Rainbow Coalition to revive the PDP and sustain his alleged presidential ambition.
He said that the APC, through its governors, had made its position on the need for a coalition clear, adding that Wike reacted by criticising APC leaders, including Uzodimma.
Onyedebelu further alleged that Wike’s actions were driven by ulterior motives, which, according to him, only visionary politicians such as Uzodimma could decipher.
He advised Wike to stop what he described as attempts to intimidate APC leaders, particularly Uzodimma, saying such actions amounted to undermining Nigeria’s democracy.
However, Eze Madumere, a former Deputy Governor of Imo and PDP senatorial candidate for Imo East, told NAN that Wike remained an exceptional politician.
Madumere said Wike’s political approach reflected the beauty of democracy, as he had charted a course for those who believed in the Rainbow Coalition.
According to him, Wike had, from the outset, made it clear that his political vision was to support President Tinubu, a position he demonstrated through the G5 governors during the 2023 general elections.
The PDP chieftain said Wike had been consistent and explicit in declaring his support for Tinubu’s presidency.
Madumere commended Wike for what he described as his uncommon courage, adding that the minister was supporting Tinubu at the presidential level without undermining the PGF led by Uzodimma.
He attributed the criticisms against Wike to what he described as the president’s confidence in the minister’s capacity and political acumen.
“Without doubt, the President believes in the capacity, acumen and dexterity of Wike to deliver successfully.
“This may attract envy and jealousy. I advise that we concentrate and mobilise the citizenry and electorate by presenting our blueprint and convincing them on why they should vote for us,” he said. #Join APC if you want Tinubu’s victory – APC chieftain tells Wike # Wike Denies Lobbying for APC Presidential Campaign DG
