The All Progressives Congress (APC) says the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, is constitutionally entitled to support any candidate of his choice in an election.
In an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief programme on Monday, APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka said Wike’s political choices should be viewed within the context of his rights as a citizen.
According to Morka, “Nyesom Wike is, first and foremost, a Nigerian, a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who also, just like you and I, has freedoms guaranteed by the constitution of our country: freedom to engage, freedom to participate in our democracy, freedom to hold his own opinions and to express them, and to take lawful, legitimate action to back his opinion, especially in the situation of an election or a contest.”
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He added that the issue was not about Wike’s relationship with the Federal Capital Territory, but about his personal political convictions.
“If Nyesom Wike wants to go on campaigning for a candidate in whatever party, he has the freedom to do that… You cannot question their liberty to choose to support one system of politics or the other. We must all wait and let this play out in the coolness of time,” Morka said.
Asked whether the APC would be comfortable if Wike were a member of the party while engaging in similar actions, Morka declined to speculate, stressing that the minister is not an APC member.
“Nyesom Wike is not a member of the All Progressives Congress. You’re asking me to speculate, and I will not speculate. He’s a member of the PDP. You should direct that question to the PDP as to how they organise their party and handle matters like this,” he said.
Wike remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party despite serving in the APC-led administration of President Bola Tinubu.
He has often dismissed “plans” to defect to the APC and describes the PDP as a “house he built” and vows to stay and “fight” against what he calls internal injustices.
Despite his PDP membership, Wike is an outspoken supporter of President Tinubu.
He recently declared his loyalty to Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda” through 2031 and stated he will not run against the president in the 2027 elections.
In the most recent FCT Area Council elections on Saturday, Wike openly campaigned for candidates aligned with President Tinubu, leading to APC victories in five out of six area councils.
In some councils, PDP candidates stepped down to endorse their APC rivals, citing Wike’s influence.
