Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said he will not leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) despite the ongoing internal crisis.
He spoke Wednesday during a media parley to mark his one year in office.
Wike’s stance comes amid a battle for control of the Rivers state PDP chapter.
President Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) appointed the former Rivers State governor last year.
Speaking during the parley, the minister said he is dedicated to the PDP, despite facing opposition from his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara and at the national level.
He said he would not run from the fight, or the “vampires” in the party.
He also said he could join the APC if he wanted, noting that he maintained his integrity by refusing to support the PDP presidential candidate during the 2023 elections, while still delivering wins for the party in Rivers.
He said: “I’ve told you I do not run from any fight. I will stay there; I will fight it out. Who am I going to run from? The vampires? How can you say that?.
“Can I tell you something? Anybody who knows me knows too well if I want to join APC today; when I was in then PDP, didn’t I say that I would not support your presidential candidate? Did I do it secretly?
“All those people who are saying those things, did they bring one member who has won an election? Did the PDP not win? I stood my ground on the principle that if this is not done, we will not accept it. People should know you for something. Integrity is very important.”
This comes after a day after Edwin Clark, leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), said Wike needs to leave PDP for the party to survive.
Clark, in an open letter to the PDP leadership delivered in Abuja on Tuesday, sharply criticised Wike for allegedly leveraging his ties with the APC and President Tinubu to undermine the PDP.
He also alleged that Wike’s influence is being used to pressure Governor Fubara.
Despite Wike’s insistence on remaining a PDP member after losing the last presidential primary to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Clark claimed Wike’s actions have been detrimental to the party.
