Nentawe Yilwatda, national chairman of the All Progressives Congress, has said the Peoples Democratic Party approved Nyesom Wike’s appointment as a minister in President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Yilwatda made the claim during a media chat in Abuja while responding to questions about Wike’s role as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory in an APC-led government despite remaining a member of the PDP.
He said there was nothing unusual about a president appointing individuals from outside his party into government, arguing that previous administrations had done the same.
To support his point, Yilwatda cited past cases in which opposition politicians were appointed to serve in federal administrations because of their experience and capacity to deliver.
He said criticism of Tinubu over Wike’s appointment was misplaced, insisting that similar decisions by past presidents did not attract the same level of outrage.
Yilwatda also said Wike sought and obtained approval from the PDP before accepting the ministerial role. According to him, Wike wrote to the party’s national leadership in 2023 to request permission to serve in the federal cabinet, and the party approved the move.
He argued that Wike’s position in the Tinubu administration was therefore not an APC arrangement imposed on the PDP, but one the opposition party had formally accepted.
The comment is likely to deepen debate over Wike’s place in the PDP and his continued relationship with the ruling APC-led federal government.
Wike, a former governor of Rivers State, has remained a central figure in the prolonged crisis within the PDP since the fallout from the 2023 general election. His appointment as FCT minister by Tinubu has continued to stir controversy within the opposition party, with critics questioning his loyalty and supporters defending his right to serve in a national capacity.
The latest remarks from the APC chairman add a fresh political layer to that controversy, as both parties continue to trade positions over Wike’s role in the current administration.
