By Sofiat Adenekan-Abdul
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has defended cross-party political alliances, saying politicians can support President Bola Tinubu without defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Wike stated this during a live media chat while responding to questions about political loyalty, anti-party activities and support for candidates across party lines.
Citing the 2020 Edo State governorship election, the minister said he refused to support the re-election bid of then-Governor Godwin Obaseki despite being a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He recalled that Obaseki visited him several times to seek his support but said he remained unwilling to back the governor.
Wike argued that cross-party alliances could be necessary to secure electoral victories. He cited the coalition that opposed Obaseki’s preferred successor, claiming the alliance helped the APC win the election.
The minister also rejected the argument that politicians must join the APC to demonstrate support for Tinubu.
He maintained that members of other political parties could support the President while retaining their party affiliations.
However, Wike warned that conflicting endorsements at the presidential, governorship and legislative levels could confuse voters.
He said support for Tinubu should be assessed based on political actions rather than party membership, adding that disagreements at the state level should not prevent politicians from backing the President nationally.
