By Deborah Nnamdi
The All Progressives Congress has defended the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over his support for candidates of the ruling party in the February 21 Area Council elections in the FCT, insisting that he is constitutionally entitled to campaign for any candidate of his choice.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Monday, APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, dismissed criticisms trailing Wike’s involvement in the polls, stating that the former Rivers State governor acted within his constitutional rights.
“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 Republic of Nigeria who also has freedom guaranteed by the constitution. He has the right to support any candidate he wants,” Morka said.
The controversy followed the FCT Area Council elections, in which the APC secured victory in five of the six councils.
Ahead of the polls, two chairmanship candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party — Julius Adamu in Bwari and Zadna Dantani in the Abuja Municipal Area Council — withdrew from the race and publicly endorsed their APC opponents after reported interventions by Wike.
The PDP National Working Committee criticized the withdrawals, describing them as “shameful” and “anti-democratic.” The party alleged that the decisions were induced without its approval and amounted to what it called a “forced consensus.”
Wike’s open support for APC candidates, despite being a prominent PDP figure, has ignited debate over party loyalty, cross-party alliances and the limits of political affiliation in Nigeria’s multi-party system.
Morka, however, maintained that the minister’s actions were a reflection of his fundamental rights under the 1999 Constitution and not part of any orchestrated strategy by the APC.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu on Sunday commended Wike for his role in the APC’s victories in the FCT elections and the by-elections held in Rivers State.
