Sen. Babafemi Ojudu, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former presidential aide, has strongly criticized Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike over the controversial emergence of his loyalist as the party’s Rivers State governorship candidate.
The backlash follows the victory of Kingsley Chinda—the immediate past Minority Leader of the House of Representatives — who secured the APC ticket ahead of the election.
However, the situation sparked widespread confusion on Tuesday when Speaker Tajudeen Abbas officially announced Chinda’s defection from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC, coming weeks after the primary election had already concluded.
Reacting to the development on his Facebook page on Wednesday, Ojudu questioned the legality and ethics of the process, mockingly suggesting that the state was losing its identity.
“How can the Minority Leader of one political party secure the governorship ticket of the ruling party, and only afterwards, defect to that party?” Ojudu questioned. “Welcome to Rivers State, soon to be renamed Wike State.”
“Traditionally, political parties are expected to be built on loyalty, shared values, ideological commitments, and long-term participation.
“There are usually expectations—formal or informal—that those seeking a party’s ticket would have contributed to its growth, endured its struggles, respected its processes, and identified with its aspirations over time.
“What then are we witnessing when a politician obtains the ticket of a party before even becoming a member of that party?
“What happens to those who have spent years building the party, funding it, organizing for it, defending it, and remaining loyal through difficult times? What becomes of the principles of membership, party discipline, and internal democracy ? he queried.
Persecondnews gathered that Chinda is a member of the rainbow coalition, a group of political bigwigs drawn from different political parties to support President Bola Tinubu.