President Bola Tinubu has extended a warm invitation to Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, saying he would be gladly received into the All Progressives Congress (APC) if he decides to formally join the party.
Speaking at the official commissioning of Arterial Road N16 and other infrastructure projects in Abuja’s Katampe District, Tinubu praised Wike’s service in the capital city and used a familiar phrase from the minister’s past political rallies to lighten the mood.
“We have somebody—Nyesom Wike—he is not a member of my party (APC), not yet. But the day he changes his mind and registers with the progressives, we will welcome him. Because we will enjoy singing ‘as e dey pain dem, e dey sweet us,’” Tinubu joked, drawing laughter from the crowd, including Wike himself.
Though Wike remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), his close alignment with Tinubu—especially since the 2023 general elections—has raised eyebrows within his own party. He took on the role of FCT Minister in August 2023 under the APC-led government despite not decamping officially.
Wike’s move to accept a position in the Tinubu administration has stirred controversy and widened divisions within the PDP, particularly after his vocal support for Tinubu’s re-election campaign in 2027. He has gone as far as publicly stating: “I am a key asset. I will lead President Tinubu’s re-election campaign in Rivers State.”
Wike’s rift with his own party dates back to the 2022 PDP presidential primary, where he lost the nomination and declined to back Atiku Abubakar, the party’s flagbearer. Since then, he has remained a polarizing figure, garnering both criticism and support across Nigeria’s political spectrum.
The PDP continues to wrestle with internal discord following its 2023 defeat, and Wike has remained at the center of that storm. Most recently, he advocated for zoning the PDP’s 2027 presidential ticket to the South—a position likely to deepen existing fractures within the party.
Despite not yet making the official switch to the APC, Wike’s actions and statements increasingly place him in Tinubu’s political orbit. Whether or not he formally defects, Tinubu’s message is clear: the door remains wide open.
Speaking on behalf of the “Concerned Stakeholders of the PDP” after a consultative meeting, Wike emphasised the need for equity and inclusiveness.
The statement also addressed procedural legitimacy within the party, insisting that only the National Secretary, Senator Sam Anyanwu, was constitutionally empowered to issue notices for national meetings.
