The All Progressives Congress (APC) has backed Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike’s right to support any candidate in the upcoming FCT area council elections.
In an interview on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Monday, APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, addressed the controversy surrounding Wike’s support for APC candidates in the February 21 FCT area council elections.
Morka said, “If Nyesom Wike wants to go on campaigning for any candidate in any party whatsoever, he has the inherent liberty to do so.
“Wike is a citizen of the Federal Capital Republic of Nigeria who also has freedom guaranteed by the constitution. He has the right to support any candidate he wants.”
The remarks come amid scrutiny of Wike’s role in the polls, which saw the APC win five of the six area councils.
According to reports, two PDP chairmanship candidates, Julius Adamu (Bwari) and Zadna Dantani (Abuja Municipal Area Council), dropped out of the race and backed their APC opponents after Wike intervened.
However, the PDP National Working Committee condemned the withdrawals as “shameful” and “anti-democratic,” claiming they were induced without the party’s consent and amounted to a “forced consensus.”
Wike also openly urged residents to vote for APC candidates which has sparked debate about party loyalty, cross-carpeting and the boundaries of political allegiance in Nigeria’s multi-party democracy, citing the party’s achievements and development projects in the FCT.
Morka further argued that Wike’s actions were a constitutional right, not a plot with APC.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Sunday, later praised Wike’s role in APC’s FCT and Rivers State wins in Saturday elections.