Wike, other G-5 members, free to join our party, says APC National Chairman, Adamu

Former Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has been offered an invitation to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The invitation was offered by the party’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu.

Adamuu said the party is willing to receive the former Rivers and the other members of the G-5.

The G-5 are members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) opposed to the presidential candidate of their party, Atiku Abubakar.

Adamu, while speaking in an interview with Arise Television on Tuesday, said the G-5 will be most welcome whenever they decide to opt for the ruling party.

Meanwhile, Adamu has described the rumoured differences between himself and President Bola Tinubu as unfounded, saying before the emergence of Tinubu he had the right to support whoever he wanted.

Adamu said he deserved some commendation for leading the party towards a successful presidential primaries and the eventual victory of Tinubu.

He said he was misrepresented about his position on the recently elected principal officers of the national assembly, adding that what the APC had issues with was the manner the communication was handled by the lawmakers.

Adamu said those who have issues against him have always had the opportunity to air their views at their national meetings, explaining that Saliu Lukman, for instance, who has always accused him of running a one-man show, has always attended those meetings.

The APC chairman stated that the decision of Lukman to take the party to court was a grave offence even though he later signed a deal that his case had been withdrawn from the court and apologized for his misdemeanor.

Adamu said, “I think that’s a soft selling point for you media people. It is true that at the time that I made a presentation to the National Working Committee (NWC), the name of Senator Ahmed Lawan was thrown up.

“That was before the convention. So many things took place between then and the actual date of the convention and you saw what culminated in the convention unanimously. I was there and I led the convention of the party.

“A day after the convention, I took the entire working committee to his (Tinubu’s) house in Asokoro and assured him of our support and said we will stand shoulder to shoulder with him and ensure that the mandate was sold properly to the people of Nigeria. We won the election. Instead of being praised, we are vilified,” he said.

He stated that it wasn’t the time for vilification, expressing the view that since he led the party to success, he should be commended.

Adamu said he had a right to hold an opinion like he did on Lawan before the primaries, but noted that once it was clear that Tinubu emerged, every member had to rally around him.

He said he currently has a good working relationship with Tinubu since his election, noting that the president has always given him his full attention each time they met.

Adamu said he would be willing to disagree with the president on any matter because there’s freedom of speech in the country, explaining that the so-called altercation with the president remains media creation.

The national APC chairman stressed that reports about himself and the president not on the same page remain speculative, urging the media to be fair to him.