By: Goodluck E. Adubazi, Abuja.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed claims that political loyalty or defection automatically guarantees party privileges, insisting that no politician is entitled to an automatic ticket for merely pledging support to the president.

Speaking on Monday, December 29, 2025 during a media chat with journalists in his hometown of Port Harcourt, Wike rejected the popular slogan “on your mandate we shall stand” as a basis for political rewards.

“There is no automatic ticket for anybody because they are shouting ‘on your mandate we shall stand,’” Wike said.
The former Rivers State governor also refuted the notion that a sitting governor who defects to the All Progressives Congress (APC) instantly becomes the most powerful political figure in the state.

Wike’s comments appeared to be a direct response to claims by Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who had publicly asserted that he is now the “number one citizen” in the state following recent political realignments.
According to Wike, such assumptions reflect a misunderstanding of political realities.

“Politics is about agreement and understanding. It is give and take,” he said, accusing some politicians of failing to honor agreements once power dynamics shift.
The FCT minister warned against entitlement politics, stressing that party structures, negotiations, and mutual commitments — not slogans or defections — determine political outcomes.

Wike’s remarks come amid ongoing political tensions in Rivers State and renewed debates over party loyalty, defections, and internal power struggles ahead of future elections.