* Insists PDP leaders approve his appointment as minister
* ‘Those calling for my suspension are Reggae dancers’
In what can be considered as a startling revelation on high wire politics among the ruling class, the new Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has disclosed that he received approval from leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to accept President Bola Tinubu’s ministerial appointment.
Wike also revealed that Tinubu wrote to the 36 state governors, asking them to nominate ministers that would serve in his cabinet.
The FCT Minister further disclosed that that the opposition PDP governors actually sent 10 names to the President for ministerial appointments.
Wike, a former Rivers State Governor, stated this on Monday in Abuja during his maiden press conference in his office.
It is instructive to note that Wike, a member of the opposition PDP, was one of 45 ministerial nominees screened and confirmed by the Senate.
Before his appointment by the President, there have been moves by some members of the PDP to suspend Wike over his association with members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and his acceptance of the ministerial offer.
But Wike said he wrote to the leaders of his party, including the Acting Chairman of the PDP, Iliya Damagum and got their approval to be part of Tinubu’s cabinet.
The new FCT Minister also declared that those calling for his suspension are Reggae dancers, urging the general public to ignore them and focus on real deal.
Speaking on the matter, Wike said, “They said they’ll sanction me that I took an appointment — that’s ridiculous.
“The President wrote to all the 36 state governors to bring names of people to appoint. Didn’t PDP governors submit names?
“Every PDP governor wrote a letter and nominated 10 persons for appointment in this (Tinubu’s) government.
“Before this appointment came, I wrote to the national party chairman, minority leader of the house of representatives and senate, zonal chairman of the party, my state chairman, and my governor.
“All of them wrote me back: ‘Accept it’. I have it in evidence documented.”
