The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Wednesday, said that nobody in his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) can suspend or discipline him.
The former Rivers governor, who spoke while featuring on a Channels TV programme, said he was still a member of the PDP despite taking an appointment in the government of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)
Boasting that no one was capable of expelling him from the PDP, Wike said, “Who will discipline me?” adding, “I should be the one calling for the discipline of these people who violated the party’s constitution, in the way that the party supported rotation.
“Who will suspend me? I want to dare anybody,” the former governor challenged the PDP leadership.
SaharaReporters had reported that ahead of the 2023 presidential election, Wike and four other PDP governors rebelled against the PDP leadership.
Wike along Samuel Ortom, Okezie Ikpeazu, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Seyi Makinde fell out with the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar over the refusal of the then-national chairman of the party, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu to relinquish his position to a southerner.
The former Rivers governor later took a ministerial position from the APC government he reportedly worked for during the election.
However, featuring in the Channels TV programme, Wike explained that he informed the leadership of his party before taking the ministerial offer of President Bola Tinubu of the APC.
He insisted that though he is a PDP member, he would support President Tinubu to do well.
“I want to support Asiwaju (Tinubu) to finish well,” he said maintaining that he owed no one an apology for supporting the power shift to southern Nigeria.
Wike said, “We are just waiting for the presidential panel to finish, you will know who are those who are working well for the party.
“How can anybody talk about expelling me? A state that brought a governor? A state that brought three senators? A state that produced 32 House of Assembly members? A state that produced 11 out of 13 House of Representatives.
“The person that would suspend me is the one that couldn’t produce a governor, is the one that couldn’t produce three senators?
“I have not seen that person, with all due respect. Nobody will do it. So, the issue of they will do it does not arise.”