‘PDP Will Cease to Exist the Moment I Move to APC,’ Wike Boasts in Fiery Year-End Address Amid Rivers Defection Crisis

In a characteristically defiant address that has sent shockwaves through the nation’s political landscape, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has declared that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is currently on “life support” and would vanish from the Nigerian political map should he choose to officially join the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Speaking today, Monday, December 29, 2025, at a high-stakes gathering of his political structure, the Lagos-to-Rivers coalition, Wike addressed the recent mass defections that have seen his rival, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and several federal lawmakers abandon the umbrella for the broom.

“Let nobody deceive you; I am the oxygen of the PDP,” Wike told the cheering crowd. “The leadership in Abuja knows this. The governors know this. They are praying every night that I don’t take that final step. The day I pick up an APC card is the day the PDP is buried and forgotten in this country. I am the only reason they can still call themselves a national party.”

The Minister’s comments come at a time of unprecedented turmoil for the PDP. The party has struggled to maintain internal cohesion since the 2023 elections, and the loss of Rivers State traditionally its “cash cow” to the APC through Governor Fubara’s defection earlier this month has left the national headquarters in a state of panic.

Wike, who has served as a Minister under the APC-led federal government while remaining a PDP member, ridiculed the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) for their “impotence.” He challenged those calling for his expulsion to “try it and see if the party survives the weekend.”

“They talk about discipline, but they cannot even keep their own governors,” Wike mocked, referencing the recent shift of power in the Niger Delta. “They watched as my successor moved to the APC, and they couldn’t even issue a statement of strength. If I move, I am not moving alone; I am moving with the heart and soul of what is left of that party.”

While Wike stopped short of announcing his own defection, political analysts in Port Harcourt suggest his rhetoric is a calculated “checkmate” move. By positioning himself as the only barrier to the PDP’s total collapse, he effectively prevents the party from field-testing any 2027 presidential strategy that does not involve him.

As the 2025 political year winds to a close, the “Wike Factor” remains the most volatile element in Nigerian politics. With the APC already gaining ground in Rivers through Fubara, the question remains: is Wike protecting the PDP, or is he simply waiting for the right moment to perform the final “funeral rites” for his former party?