Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has appointed the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, into its Bayelsa State Governorship Election Campaign Council.
Mr Wike, the immediate past governor of the neighbouring Rivers State, is number six on the list released by the APC National Organising Secretary, Suleiman Arugungu, on Tuesday.
The ruling party also released the list of the members of the campaign councils for the Kogi and Imo governorship elections all of which will be conducted by INEC on 11 November.
Curiously, Mr Wike’s appointment came few days after the PDP also named him a member of its campaign council for the same Bayelsa poll.
Mr Wike, alongside other G5 governors, Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and the current governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, openly rebelled against the PDP in the buildup to the 25 February presidential election.
The group came into existence after the PDP presidential primary election won by former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.
Atiku defeated Mr Wike and others to become the party’s presidential candidate.
The G5, led by Mr Wike, demanded the resignation of the former PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, to pave the way for a southerner to lead the party to achieve a “regional balance”. While making the demands, they openly opposed Atiku and refused to campaign for him.
Mr Wike, who was inaugurated as the FCT minister in the APC federal administration last week, has yet to defect from the PDP.
Ahead of the general election earlier this year, the former governor openly supported President Bola Tinubu and was later appointed minister by the president.
Following his appointment as Minister, Mr Wike claimed that he wrote letters to Acting National Chairman of PDP, Umar Damagun, incumbent governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara and Minority Leaders in the Senate and House of Representatives, seeking their permission to accept the offer.
This is not the first time the APC would include non-members of the party in its campaign council.
In 2022, the ruling party included Chimaroke Nnamani and Kassim Afegbua, both of the PDP, as members of its presidential campaign council.
However, it later dropped them following some protests.
The APC Bayelsa campaign council is to be chaired by Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State, while the Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume are to serve as co-chairpersons.
The council is charged with prosecuting the campaign for Timipre Sylva, who is running against the incumbent governor, Diri Douye, and others.
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