President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday declared that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is open to receiving the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, into its ranks.
Tinubu made the remark while commissioning the Arterial Road N16 (Shehu Shagari Way) from Ring Road One (Nnamdi Azikiwe Way) to Arterial Road N20 (Wole Soyinka Road), along with several other roads in the Katampe District of Abuja.
“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 said.
The President’s remarks drew laughter from the audience, including Wike himself, reflecting a continued mutuality between the two political figures.
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Wike, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has stirred political discourse since publicly supporting Tinubu during the 2023 general election.
Though he remained in the PDP after Tinubu won the highly contested presidential seat, he accepted a ministerial appointment from the APC-led administration and was sworn in as FCT Minister in August 2023.
His decision to serve on the platform of a rival party, while still maintaining his PDP membership, deepened internal rifts within the main opposition party.
His political trajectory has increasingly aligned with President Tinubu. After losing the PDP’s presidential primary in 2022, he refused to support the party’s eventual candidate, Atiku Abubakar, during the general election.
Since then, Wike has publicly pledged to support Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, even stating on 3 June that he was prepared to lead the campaign in Rivers State.
“I am a key asset. I will lead President Tinubu’s re-election campaign in Rivers State,” Wike stated in a recent media chat.
His often-repeated declarations and support have drawn mixed reactions from observers and party loyalists like Bode George and Dele Momodu.