The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Nyesom Wike, has reiterated that he remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Wike made the clarification in Abuja on Friday while responding to the defection of 16 lawmakers from the Rivers State House of Assembly from the PDP to the ruling All Progressives Congress.
“I am still in the PDP and it is not everybody that has left.
“I believe 16 or 17 of them have left out of 27. We still have quite a good number; about 10, and we will continue to work together.
“They never told me, but they have a right to do so.
“For me, those who left were free to do so, and for those who remained in the party, we will continue to work together,” he said.
Describing the defection as “very unfortunate,” Wike noted that every individual has the right to make a choice.
He attributed the development to the current factionalised state of the party, adding that the PDP Constitution allows members to leave if the party becomes factionalised.
The minister recalled advising the PDP leadership to unify the party, stressing that “at the end of the day, if nothing is done, it’s the party that is losing.”
He further said efforts were ongoing to determine how the remaining members of the party could collaborate effectively and maintain relevance as an opposition.
