Gov’ship Polls: Intrigue As PDP, APC Name Wike In Campaign Teams

In a dramatic turn of events, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Barr Nyesom Wike, was listed in the campaign team of the governing All Progressive Congress (APC) for Bayelsa State.

The APC listed Wike’s name in the campaign when it unveiled the governorship campaign councils for the Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo States ahead of the November 11 elections.

However, four hours later, the APC made a U-turn by disowning the Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo Governorship Campaign Councils lists it released earlier in the day.

Curiously, the PDP national leadership, on August 2 this year, had also named Wike as a member of its governorship campaign council in Bayelsa State.

APC is seeking to defeat the ruling PDP in Bayelsa State.

Although it is not clear if Wike’s inclusion in APC campaign team was the reason why the governing party disowned the lists, LEADERSHIP recalls that Wike was listed in the PDP campaign team barely five days after he was nominated by President Bola Tinubu to serve as a minister.

Aside Wike, members of the G-5 group of former PDP governors, namely Benue’s Samuel Ortom; Abia’s Okezie Ikpeazu; and Enugu’s Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, also made the PDP Bayelsa campaign council list, which was contained in a statement signed by PDP national publicity secretary, Hon Debo Ologunagba.

Wike, who is yet to defect from PDP, has since assumed his ministerial duties in the APC-led administration of President Tinubu.

The national leadership of PDP led by Ambassador Umar Ililya Damagum, has yet to react to Wike’s ministerial appointment.

When contacted also, Ologunagba did not respond.

However, in its later statement, disowning the Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo governorship campaign councils’ list, the APC national publicity secretary, Barr Felix Morka, said the lists were not official documents of the party and should be disregarded.

The statement reads: “The attention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been drawn to National Campaign Council Lists for the 11th November, 2023 Governorship Elections in Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo States in circulation in sections of the media. The lists are not official documents of the Party and should be disregarded.”

In the list published on the party’s official Whatsapp platform earlier, APC named Governors Dapo Abiodum of Ogun; Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe and Bassey Otu of Cross River States as chairmen of Campaign Councils.

This was contained in a national gubernatorial campaign council list released by the APC national organising secretary, Suleiman Muhammad Argungu, in Abuja yesterday.