{"id":123031,"date":"2025-10-21T15:29:51","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T14:29:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=123031"},"modified":"2025-10-21T15:29:51","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T14:29:51","slug":"they-called-me-traitor-now-theyve-joined-apc-wike-mocks-diri-others","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/they-called-me-traitor-now-theyve-joined-apc-wike-mocks-diri-others\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018They Called Me Traitor, Now They\u2019ve Joined APC,\u2019 Wike Mocks Diri, Others"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By Oscar Okhifo<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has taken a swipe at politicians defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), mocking them for joining the All Progressives Congress (APC) even though he, himself, has not officially joined the ruling party despite his open support for President Bola Tinubu.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">His remarks followed the shock defection of Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, along with 21 members of the state House of Assembly, from the PDP.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Governor Diri,\u00a0 announced his defection on Wednesday after what he described as \u201cextensive consultations.&#8221; He made the declaration during an expanded State Executive Council meeting in Yenagoa.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He was joined by the Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Abraham Ingobere, his deputy, and 19 other lawmakers, all of whom pledged their support for the governor\u2019s decision.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Diri said his move was in the best interest of Bayelsans and consistent with his vision for the continued development of the state.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u00a0\u201cAfter wide consultations and deep reflections on the state of our nation, I have decided to leave the PDP,\u201d he reportedly said.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Reacting to the development, Wike mocked the defectors, saying those who once called him a traitor for aligning with President Tinubu have now followed the same path.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cThey called me a traitor, but today they are the ones running to the same place they said I was going to destroy the PDP,\u201d Wike said. \u201cThey should rather commend me for having seen the future before them.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The FCT Minister praised President Tinubu\u2019s leadership, noting that more states are now able to pay salaries and execute capital projects without excessive borrowing.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u00a0He said, it reflects \u201cvisionary and pragmatic leadership that gives confidence to serious-minded politicians.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, the PDP leadership condemned Diri\u2019s defection, accusing the APC of pursuing a deliberate plot to turn Nigeria into a one-party state ahead of the 2027 general elections.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Former Bayelsa governor, Senator Seriake Dickson, also described Diri\u2019s decision as \u201cunnecessary and unfortunate,\u201d warning that democracy should not be allowed to slide into one-party dominance.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Similarly, elder statesman and chieftain of the PDP, Chief Bode Olabode, expressed surprise over the wave of defections, saying he never expected some prominent figures, particularly Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah, to leave the party.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cI must say I\u2019m shocked. I never saw Mbah\u2019s defection coming,\u201d Olabode said, adding that the recent developments call for sober reflection within the PDP leadership.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The African Democratic Congress (ADC) likewise criticized the wave of defections, saying it confirmed President Tinubu\u2019s alleged \u201cone-party agenda\u201d and a growing threat to Nigeria\u2019s multi-party democracy.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With Diri\u2019s exit and the defection of 21 lawmakers, the PDP\u2019s once-solid control of Bayelsa politics now faces a major test.<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Oscar Okhifo Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has taken a swipe at politicians defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), mocking them for joining the&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":123045,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-123031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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