All eyes remain fixed on Wike after 27 PDP lawmakers in Rivers State defect to APC

SIGNS Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister Nyesom Wike will soon officially defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) grew stronger today after 27 members of the Rivers State House of assembly loyal to him switched to the party.

Mr Wike, who served as Rivers State governor between 2015 and 2013 was elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). However, during the last presidential elections, Mr Wike broke ranks with the party and supported the APC presidential candidate President Bola Tinubu against the PDPs Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

After President Tinubu assumed office in May this year, he rewarded Mr Wike by appointing him to the juicy office of FCT minister. Despite still being a member of the PDP, Mr Wike took the office and there has been a lot of speculation about him formally and officially joining the APC.

In what is seen as a prelude to this, 27 PDP lawmakers in the Rivers State House of Assembly decamped to the APC this morning. These lawmakers, led by the speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon Martin Amaehwule, were mainly handpicked by Mr Wike when he was governor.

Over recent weeks, Rivers State has been restive following a move by its lawmakers to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara. A group of them had adopted a resolution condemning the alleged withholding of funds for the management of the assembly by the state government.

It is these 27 members of the 32-persion house of assembly that have now defected to the APC, citing division within the PDP as the cause of their action. Speaking after reading the letters signed by the lawmakers, Hon Amaehwule directed the clerk of the house to convey their resolution to Governor Fubara and the relevant authorities.