The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said the recent wave of defections from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) vindicates his long-standing support for President Bola Tinubu.
Wike stated this on Wednesday during the flag-off of the main carriageways construction on the Outer Southern Expressway in Abuja.
The former Rivers State governor, who had faced criticism within the PDP for his perceived closeness to the ruling party, said the defections confirmed that his earlier political stance was both strategic and justified.
“I have been watching on television and social media, people who said I wanted to destabilise the PDP and that I was working for the APC. All of them are now in the APC,” Wike said.
“So, if it is true that I was working for the APC, they should commend me for paving the way for them. I should be commended for doing a good job for where they have now gone.
”Wike’s comments come amid a major political realignment that has seen several PDP leaders, including governors, defect to the APC in recent days.In the last 48 hours, the Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, resigned his membership of the PDP to join the APC, citing national development under President Tinubu’s leadership as his reason.
Similarly, Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, along with 19 members of the State House of Assembly, also defected to the APC on Wednesday.
Their defections bring the number of PDP governors down from 11 in October 2024 to eight as of October 2025, ahead of the 2027 general elections.Wike also praised President Tinubu for what he described as “decisive leadership,” which, according to him, has restored financial stability to both federal and state governments.
“Let every state be sincere to their people and to Nigerians,” Wike said. “I was a governor for eight years, and I remember running around banks looking for money to do projects.
“Sometimes, the monthly allocation wasn’t even enough to pay salaries, let alone execute projects.
“Today, through the decisive leadership of one person, all the states and the FCT are financially stable. Banks are now the ones seeking partnerships with states rather than the other way round.
”The minister added that President Tinubu’s reforms have created a financial environment where states can now pay salaries, implement capital projects, and plan sustainably for the future.
“Now, no governor will talk about leaving debts for his successor, unlike what used to happen before. That’s what visionary and purposeful leadership can achieve — the kind of leadership this country needs right now,” he said.
