Amid defection rumour, Wike visits, congratulates Ganduje

Former governor of Rivers State and a minister-designate, Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday, visited the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Umar Gnaduje, in Abuja.

Wike, leader of the G-5 Governors, who worked against the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the 2023 election, has repeatedly denied plotting to join the ruling party.

The PDP chieftain who is believed to have worked for the success of President Bola Tinubu during the presidential election in Rivers State, was received by Ganduje at his residence in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

Details of the visit were sketchy but a post by the ruling party on X (formerly known as Twitter), indicates that the former governor’s visit to the APC national chairman was to congratulate him on his election to the position.

“Former governor of Rivers State and a minister-designate, HE. Nyesom Wike, paid a congratulatory visit to the national chairman, HE. Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje at his residence in Abuja,” the ruling party posted.

During a thanksgiving service organised in his honour shortly after he handed over power in Port Harcourt, Governor Simi Fubara asked Wike not to abandon him if he ended up in the ruling party.

“While we are seeing signs that it’s like you want to go over to the other side with everybody wishing that, please don’t be too far from me because I know that the sharks, the tigers are really around looking for what to hurt. So, being around would continue to guide and put my head straight for the purpose of this state,” Fubara had said.

Speculations of him dumping the opposition party gained momentum after he was enlisted into President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet.

PDP leaders had expressed displeasure over this and mulled the move to sanction the former Rivers governor.

Daily Trust reports that shortly before the senate confirmed him as a minister, Wike told BBC Pidgin why he had been hobnobbing with APC chieftains.

The former governor, who had earlier used the illustration of malaria and cancer to dismiss speculations that he was on the way to the ruling party, gave clarification. Earlier when asked if he was thinking of dumping the PDP in the heat of the face-off with Atiku, Wike had said, “I get malaria, na cancer I dey find?”

However, defending his recent moves, including making it to Tinubu’s cabinet, the former governor said while someone can die of Malaria, a person with cancer can get healed if he has the opportunity of meeting a better doctor.

“If someone gets cancer, and he meets a better doctor, won’t he get better treatment? And, if a patient has ordinary malaria without proper care, won’t he die of malaria? Are you not aware that malaria kills people?

“And what is my concern if someone that has cancer is taken to a good hospital and meets a good doctor and gets healed? That’s just the truth about the two parties.”

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