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Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has spoken on the collaboration between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State during the recent local council elections.
During a media parley on Monday, Wike defended the potential collaboration while also acknowledging that the PDP has been losing favour with the public.
When questioned about the PDP’s decision not to field candidates in all local government areas, which contrasted with his earlier comments on collaboration for peace and stability, Wike posed a rhetorical question. “I said, assuming though not considering that there was a collaboration, will you not commend this collaboration?” he stated. “That does not mean I conceded.”
Wike also candidly addressed the state of the PDP in Rivers, admitting to a decline in public trust. “Let me also point out that as time goes on, PDP has been a predominant party in the state; no doubt about that. You also know that the party has had its problems; people are losing faith in the party, whether you agree or not.”
His comments shed light on the complex political dynamics at play in the state and suggest that the PDP’s once-dominant position is being challenged by internal issues and a shifting political landscape.
In spite of the APC-PDP Collaboration, Wike, denied claims that he supported the APC in the LG elections, insisting that he merely campaigned for the PDP in his own local government.
“You always say Wike cannot influence what happens in other local governments. He can only influence what happens in his own local government. I have an influence, I campaigned for my people to vote for PDP, and my people have voted for PDP in my local government. Now you are angry that APC won in their local governments, which means why did I not extend the influence I didn’t have,” Wike declared.
Meanwhile, a non-profit Civil Society Organisation, YIAGA Africa condemned the conducts and outcomes of the local government elections. For the group, the exercises are nothing but electoral coronations and travesty of democracy.
News Central gathered from a statement issued on Monday by the Executive Director of the organisation, Samson Itodo while responding to questions during an interview.
Itodo said, “Let me reiterate a point that YIAGA Africa has made consistently. All the local government elections that held before the Supreme Court’s judgment and after the Supreme Court’s judgment were nothing but a travesty of electoral democracy.”
“Those elections, virtually all of them, ran foul of provisions of the law. In other words, they violated provisions of the Electoral Act, and if you challenge the legality of those elections in court, I doubt if all of them will meet the test.”
