Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has revealed that another governor elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is set to join Governor David Umahi in defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Naija News had reported earlier that the Ebonyi Governor announced his defection from PDP to APC while addressing journalists in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital on Tuesday, November 17.
Governor Umahi said he moved to the ruling APC because of injustice meted out to the Southeast by his former political party, the PDP.
The Ebonyi Governor clarified that he has no deal with the APC or any member of the party with regards to the zoning of the presidential position to the southeast in 2023 as touted in some quarters.
But Speaking to Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ programme on Wednesday, Wike said, “I can tell you there is one PDP governor that will leave. He is not leaving because of anything but he will come up with an excuse.
“The point is that these are the people who have been playing anti-party, who have been romancing with the APC in the night and coming to the PDP in the daytime. My problem with our party is that when you speak the truth, they will want to crucify you. I have raised this issue several times.”
When asked to reveal the identity of the PDP governor planning to defect, Wike said, “I won’t tell you that. But you journalists know.”
The Rivers governor, who said Umahi has always been disloyal to the PDP, disclosed that during a particular virtual meeting of PDP governors Umahi boasted that he helped President Muhammadu Buhari to garner votes in the 2019 presidential election.
“All of us are aware that Governor Umahi has been romancing with APC for long. We had a virtual meeting of PDP governors. I have never seen that in my life,” Wike said.
“Governor Umahi in that meeting, to the surprise of many governors, said ‘there is nothing anybody can do to stop me’. I promised President Buhari I would give him 35 percent votes’.
“I never knew that people never voted in Ebonyi; that votes were allocated and Governor Umahi determined who gets what percentage.”