Former transportation minister, Rotimi Amaechi’s longtime ally Chris Finebone has defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Longtime APC publicity secretary Finebone announced his departure in the early hours of Friday.
He didn’t provide any information as to why he defected, though. Finebone stated this on his official Twitter account,’Similanayi Fubara , PDP governorship candidate is my brother; know it and know peace!’
Finebone visited Governor Nyesom Wike’s home on Ada George Road in Port Harcourt shortly after he switched parties to the PDP. He was joined by the PDP governorship candidate and Dr. Davis Ikanya, the former state chairman of the APC.
The change occurred as Governor Nyesom Wike and APC leaders formed an alliance.
Barring a last-minute change of plans, Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the APC-controlled House of Representatives, would commission some projects in Rivers today.
APC-controlled House of Representatives speaker Femi Gbajabiamila was scheduled to commission various projects in Rivers today, barring a last-minute alteration of plans.
Wike was called upon to accomplish projects for the APC earlier this week by the governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and senator Aliyu Wammako.
Wike, who is engaged in a constant conflict with the PDP, the party on which he was twice elected governor, launched veiled criticisms at the PDP at the commissioning.
‘If you say Rivers State does not matter, Rivers State will tell you that you don’t also matter at the appropriate time. If you don’t like us, we will not like you. If you like us, we will like you. Nobody will use our votes for nothing. Our votes will matter and Rivers State must benefit from anybody that we are going to support,” he had said on Monday.’
The Rivers governor had stressed during Wamakko’s visit that good leadership was not dependent on a political party and that he would still function effectively outside the PDP.
Attributable to each other, Wike and Amaechi placed second in their respective parties’ presidential primaries.
Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president, won the PDP candidacy, while Asiwaju Bola Tinubu won the APC nomination.
Wike had expressed interest in running for PDP vice president, but Atiku chose Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa instead.
This has caused the opposition party to experience yet another round of crises, despite efforts by PDP leaders to bring the two together.
Atiku and Wike sat down together last week at the home of Jerry Gana, a prominent PDP member, and former minister, but the reconciliation talks have not yet produced the anticipated outcomes.
It is unknown whether Amaechi, the APC leader in Rivers, has approved of Finebone’s most recent political maneuver.
APC Chieftains’ partnership with Wike, according to an Amaechi ally who spoke to a national newspaper, may cause the former minister to rejoin the PDP.
Amaechi was one of the G-7 politicians who left the PDP Convention in 2013, which political analysts believe was a factor in the party losing its 16-year hegemony over the government.
The G-7 politicians joined forces with the APC at the time to overthrow the PDP, with Atiku serving as the movement’s leader.
Even before the election of the current Rivers governor, Wike, who had previously been Amaechi’s chief of staff, and Amaechi maintained their rivalry.
