The All Progressives Congress (APC), Imo State Chairman, Chief Austin Onyedebelu, has described the FCT Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike, as a threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
He stressed that the minister could not belong to both the PDP and the APC simultaneously, advising him to choose one.
Chief Onyedebelu made this known while addressing newsmen.
“There is no provision in the Electoral Act that says one can be a member of two political parties at the same time.
“If Wike wants to work for Mr. President, he should join his train. You cannot be at the end of two roads and say you are heading east,” he stated.
Onyedebelu accused Wike of using the Rainbow Coalition to revive the PDP and sustain his alleged presidential ambition.
The Imo State APC chairman said that the APC, through its governors, had made its position on the coalition clear, adding that Wike reacted by criticising APC leaders, including Uzodimma.
Onyedebelu further alleged that Wike’s actions were driven by ulterior motives, which, according to him, only visionary politicians such as Uzodimma could decipher.
Onyedebelu urged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Wike, to formally join the APC in order to integrate fully into the party.
He emphasised that if Wike genuinely wants to secure President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, he would not hesitate to join the president’s party.
A rift has emerged between the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), led by Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, and the Wike-led Rainbow Coalition.
Barr. Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says the coalition is a channel to secure President Tinubu’s second term, while the Uzodimma-led group perceives the arrangement as capable of weakening the APC’s influence.
He advised Wike to stop what he described as attempts to abuse APC leaders, particularly Uzodimma, saying such actions amounted to undermining Nigeria’s democracy.
However, Eze Madumere, a former Deputy Governor of Imo State and PDP senatorial candidate for Imo East, said that Wike remained an exceptional politician.
Madumere said Wike’s political approach reflected the beauty of democracy, as he had charted a course for those who believed in the Rainbow Coalition.
According to him, Wike had, from the outset, made it clear that his political vision was to support Tinubu, a position he demonstrated through the G5 governors during the 2023 general elections.
The PDP chieftain said Wike had been consistent and explicit in declaring his support for Tinubu’s presidency.
“I believe we are practising democracy, and in a democratic dispensation, everybody is free to ventilate and express his views.
