Wike reveals PDP permitted him to become minister under APC

Following the controversy surrounding his appointment as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), under the All Progressive Congress, APC, Nyesome Wike, has revealed that his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, gave him permission to become a minister under APC.

The former governor of Rivers State also dismissed speculations that he will defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress.

According to Wike, when the president told him about his ministerial appointment, he wrote to the PDP National Chairman, Umar Damagun, the South-South zonal chairman of the party, and his Rivers State chairman to notify them of the appointment and they all wrote back giving their approval.

GistReel reports that Wike is the only member of the opposition party in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet.

However, addressing the media in a press conference on Monday, Wike said he was in the FCT to deliver the dividends of democracy and return the Territory to its glory days.

He rolled out a 10-point agenda with a focus on issues of security, city sanitation, preservation of the Abuja Master Plan, infrastructure development, restoration of green areas, removal of shanties, blocking of revenue leakages, ground rents payment, among other deliverables.

The new FCT Minister, while responding to a question on which party’s flag he was likely to display in his office as Minister of the FCT, said FCT residents should be more worried about burning issues needing urgent intervention and not any party’s flag he will be flying.

“Why should anyone be bothered about what party flag I will be flying? Okay, bring the PDP flag, I will fly it, bring the Labour Party flag, I will fly it. The FCT is in this state and you think the people are bothered about the party flag I fly?

“I will fly the Nigerian flag and ensure the FCT returns to the dreams of the founding fathers. We will bring FCT back to where it ought to be. So many people have complained that this is not the FCT of the founding fathers. We must tackle the issue of security. FCT should be where people come for holidays,” he said.