(DDM) – The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has broken his silence following the defection of sixteen lawmakers from the Rivers State House of Assembly to the All Progressives Congress, APC, declaring that the legislators are free to leave the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, if they choose to.
DDM findings indicate that Wike made the remarks on Friday while addressing journalists shortly after the lawmakers, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, formally announced their exit from the PDP during a plenary session in Port Harcourt.
The lawmakers’ decision marks a major political shift in Rivers State, where long-standing internal conflicts within the PDP have fuelled months of tension, factional rivalry, and strategic alignments.
Wike, a former governor of Rivers State and now a key figure in national politics, described the development as unfortunate but unsurprising given the deep fractures that have divided the party at state and national levels.
He explained that the constitution gives elected representatives the right to defect when their political party becomes internally factionalised, adding that the recent divisions within the PDP clearly met that threshold.
The minister clarified that although sixteen or seventeen lawmakers had left the party, the PDP still retained about ten loyal members in the Assembly, and his camp would continue working closely with them.
Wike told reporters that none of the defecting lawmakers informed him before making the move, but stressed that they had the constitutional right to choose their political direction.
Political analysts note that the defection has intensified debates over the control of the Rivers political structure, particularly the power struggle between Wike and Governor Siminalayi Fubara, which has shaped the state’s political landscape for more than a year.
The crisis escalated in 2023 when disagreements over governance decisions and succession politics created two opposing blocs within the PDP, each accusing the other of sabotage, betrayal, and attempts to seize the party’s structure.
Friday’s mass defection is widely viewed as a major victory for the APC at both state and national levels, potentially altering legislative dynamics and strengthening the ruling party’s influence in the South-South region.
Despite the setback, Wike insisted that the PDP still had a “good number” of committed lawmakers and vowed to continue supporting the party loyalists who chose to stay.
He reiterated that political movement is a constitutional right and urged supporters not to panic, emphasising that the remaining members of the PDP would continue to advance the party’s interests in the Assembly.