ABUJA — The political landscape in the nation’s capital shifted once again this week as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, was spotted at the private residence of the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda Goshwe.
The visit, captured in widely circulated photographs, shows the two leaders in a relaxed atmosphere, fueling intense speculation about Wike’s next political move. While the Minister has spent months navigating a unique “middle ground”—serving in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet while maintaining his PDP membership—this latest meeting with the APC’s top administrator has many asking if an official defection is finally on the horizon.
The “Working Partnership”
Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda has been vocal about the relationship between the ruling party and the “Wike faction” of the PDP. The Chairman recently described it as a strategic “working partnership,” clarifying that while Wike remains a technical member of the opposition, the doors of the APC are not just open, but waiting.
“He is free to join us at any time,” Yilwatda stated in a recent briefing, echoing the sentiment that the APC is eager to formalize the alliance that has already reshaped politics in Rivers State.
A Minister Between Two Worlds
For his part, Wike remains characteristically defiant. He has consistently dismissed rumours of a “secret” defection, insisting that if he ever decides to leave the PDP, it would be a “carnival-style” event that the whole world would see.
“I am not a member of the APC,” Wike recently maintained, even as he admitted that the APC’s influence in Rivers State has grown into a formidable “threat” due to the federal empowerment the state has received under the current administration.
Eyes on 2027
Political analysts suggest that while Wike holds onto his PDP card for now, his loyalty to President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid is already set in stone. With reports emerging that Wike has directed his loyalists in Rivers to seek APC nomination forms following recent judicial setbacks for his PDP faction, many believe the Minister is essentially an APC leader in all but name.
As the 2027 election cycle begins to loom, the question in Abuja is no longer if Wike will align with the APC, but when he will make the move official.
