The newly appointed Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Nyesome Wike, has dismissed any possibility of his likely defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress, saying that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) permitted him to accept President Bola Tinubu’s ministerial appointment.
Wike, who is the only member of the opposition party in President Tinubu’s cabinet, said he was in the FCT to deliver the dividends of democracy and return the Territory to its glory days.
While Wike is a member of the opposition PDP, President Tinubu wasn’t disposed to a government of national unity, rather, the President said he will only operate a government of national competence.
The Minister, during his maiden media briefing, rolled out a 10-point agenda with a focus on issues of security, city sanitation, preservation of the Abuja Master Plan, infrastructure development, restoration of green areas, removal of shanties, blocking of revenue leakages, ground rents payment, among other deliverables.
The new FCT Minister, who was responding to a question on which party’s flag he was likely to display in his office as Minister of the FCT, said FCT residents should be more worried about burning issues needing urgent intervention and not any party’s flag he will be flying.
“Why should anyone be bothered about what party flag I will be flying? Okay, bring the PDP flag, I will fly it, bring the Labour Party flag, I will fly it. The FCT is in this state and you think the people are bothered about the party flag I fly?
“I will fly the Nigerian flag and ensure the FCT returns to the dreams of the founding fathers. We will bring FCT back to where it ought to be. So many people have complained that this is not the FCT of the founding fathers. We must tackle the issue of security. FCT should be where people come for holidays,” he said.
Wike further explained that when the president told him about his ministerial appointment, he wrote to the PDP National Chairman, Umar Damagun, the South-South zonal chairman of the party, and his Rivers State chairman to notify them of the appointment and they all wrote back giving their approval.
