Gov Makinde, Ibori, Wike In Closed-Door Meeting With Tinubu As Defection Rumour Swells

Ex-Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has taken a step closer to his rumoured defection from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as he joined former Delta State Governor, James Ibori and current Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde in a closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu.

Wike has been reportedly pencilled down to emerge as Minister of Interior even though he has restated his stance that he’s still a PDP member.

He has grown increasingly closer to the All Progressives Congress, APC, the party which he helped to victory in the February 25 presidential election.

He was commended by the APC for aiding the victory of the party in Rivers State, in a state the party had not won since its establishment in 2013.

The governor alongside Makinde has been isolated by the PDP on account of the division they caused in the party in the lead up to the presidential election.

Wike was aggrieved during the nomination process for the PDP presidential candidate as he was defeated into second place by former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.

Atiku equally overlooked his nomination for the running mate position, instead opting for immediate past governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa.

This led to the formation of the G-5 governors. The group boycotted the PDP presidential campaign and withdrew their support for the party.

Instead, they supported different presidential candidates in what has been alleged to be a quid pro quo.

Ibori, who has remained in political Siberia since his return to Nigeria after serving out conviction for money laundering in the UK some years ago has tried unsuccessfully to resurrect his political fortune in his state of Delta.

His candidate for the governorship in Delta State in the 2023 election was defeated during the PDP primary.

He thereafter gave blessing to the APC governorship candidate in the state, current Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, who lost the election to the PDP.

He had also joined Wike in Rivers State soon after Tinubu was declared the President-elect in what sources said was the first step into political resurrection.

Although the meeting of Friday was a closed-door one with no details emerging but Wike’s stay in the PDP took a serious hit during the week when the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja said the PDP had the power to reprimand, in the form of suspension or expulsion, any erring member provided the party’s constitutional provision was followed.

Wike had rushed to the court where he obtained an ex parte order that stopped the PDP from expelling him before the general elections.

For want of not being disgraced out of the PDP following the latest court ruling, the former strongman of Rivers politics may be stepping up his move away from the party to the APC, just like the others.

It’s not clear if Makinde, who has been his loyal political associate, would follow him to the APC.

Makinde, on his part, reportedly made a pact with the APC to deliver the state to the party during the presidential election in exchange for his reelection as governor.

It was gathered that the governor might be preparing grounds for his exit from the PDP.