The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has revealed that he sought and obtained the approval of the leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) before accepting the offer to serve in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet.
Mr. Wike, a prominent member of the opposition party, was among the 45 ministers inaugurated by Mr. Tinubu on Monday, according to DAILY NIGERIAN.
Prior to the 2023 presidential election, the former Governor of Rivers State led a group of five governors known as G-5, who worked against the PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
As a result, many political observers considered Mr. Wike’s appointment as a reward for his role in assisting the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in winning the election.
Some stakeholders in the opposition party called on the PDP leadership to reprimand Mr. Wike and his associates for engaging in anti-party activities.
However, speaking during his inaugural press briefing as the FCT Minister, Mr. Wike dismissed the threats.
He stated, “They said they’ll sanction me because I accepted an appointment — that’s ridiculous.”
He added, “The president wrote to all 36 state governors to provide names of individuals for appointment. Didn’t PDP governors submit names?
“Every PDP governor wrote a letter and nominated 10 persons for appointments in this [Tinubu’s] government.
“Before this appointment came, I wrote to the National Party Chairman, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives and Senate, Zonal Chairman of the party, my State Chairman, and my governor,” Mr. Wike continued.
“All of them responded to me, stating ‘Accept it.’ I have documented evidence of their responses.”
