I Got PDP’s Nod To Be Minister Under APC — Wike

BY EDMOND ODOK – Immediate Past Governor of Rivers State, Nyesome Wike, says the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) fully gave him the nod to accept the Ministerial appointment by President Bola Tinubu’

Dismissing speculations of possible defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress, Wike, who now presides over the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as the Minister, said his mandate is to deliver the dividends of democracy and return the Territory to its glory days.

According to Wike, when President Tinubu talked about the ministerial appointment, he wrote to the PDP National Chairman, Umar Damagun, the Party’s South-South Zonal Chairman, and his Rivers State Chapter Chairman to notify them of the appointment and they all wrote back giving him their approval.

The Minister, who rolled out a 10-point agenda at his maiden media briefing, said the focus will be on issues of security, city sanitation, preservation of the Abuja Master Plan, infrastructure development, restoration of green areas, removal of shanties, blocking of revenue leakages, ground rents payment, among other deliverables.

On the party’s flag that he would likely display in his office as Minister of the FCT, Wike said people should be more concerned about burning issues that need urgent intervention and not any party’s flag he will be flying, stressing thus; “Why should anyone be bothered about what party flag I will be flying? Okay, bring the PDP flag, I will fly it, bring the Labour Party flag, I will fly it.

“The FCT is in this state and you think the people are bothered about the party flag I fly? I will fly the Nigerian flag and ensure the FCT returns to the dreams of the founding fathers. We will bring FCT back to where it ought to be. So many people have complained that this is not the FCT of the founding fathers. We must tackle the issue of security. FCT should be where people come for holidays”.