Former presidential aide and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Babafemi Ojudu, has criticised the emergence of a reported ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, as the ruling party’s governorship candidate in Rivers State.
Recalls that Kingsley Chinda, the immediate past minority leader of the House of Representatives, emerged as the APC governorship candidate ahead of the 2027 Rivers State governorship election.
However, controversy followed his emergence after he officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC weeks after the party’s primary election.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, announced Chinda’s defection during plenary on Tuesday.
Reacting in a statement posted on his Facebook page on Wednesday, Ojudu questioned how a politician who was still a member of another party at the time of the primary could secure the APC governorship ticket.
He wrote, “How can the minority leader of one political party secure the governorship ticket of the ruling party and only afterwards defect to that party? Welcome to Rivers State, a soon-to-be renamed Wike State.”
Ojudu further expressed concern over what he described as a departure from established political norms and party principles.
“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, organising for it, defending it, and remaining loyal through difficult times? What becomes of the principles of membership, party discipline, and internal democracy?” he asked.
However, Chinda gathered that Chinda is a member of the Rainbow Coalition, a political alliance comprising influential figures from differnt parties who support President Bola Tinubu.
