Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has criticized supporters of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara for defecting from the People's Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Peoples Party (APP) ahead of the October 5 local government elections. Wike, speaking in Port Harcourt, expressed surprise that PDP members loyal to Fubara would shift allegiance to APP and boasted that he and his loyalists would politically defeat the APP when the time came. He emphasized that political success is not about money but about capacity.
Wike dismissed claims that the Ijaw people in Rivers State were fighting him, attributing the tensions to a few ungrateful individuals. He reassured the Ijaw community, stating that his political strength could not be challenged by his opponents. Boma Iyaye, speaking on behalf of the Ijaw group at the event, apologized to Wike and urged him not to generalize the actions of a few to the entire ethnic group.
Wike was accompanied by notable political figures, including Petroleum Minister Heineken Lokpobiri and governors from Adamawa, Benue, Enugu, and Abia states.