By Desire Emmanuel
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has turned to a kingmaker as his Abuja home has become a Mecca of sort with governorship aspirants from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rushing there to receive his political blessing.
Wike became more or less the national leader of the PDP following the recognition of the National Working Committee (NWC) of his faction of the party by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after its national convention held in Abuja on March 29.
Since the conclusion of the convention as well as its recognition by INEC, Wike took over the entire structure of the party at the national level while some of the state chapters are currently embroiled in crises.
However, in the last one week, no fewer than 15 governorship aspirants from some of the states have visited the minister in his Abuja home in order to curry his favour and receive his blessing for them to emerge as the candidates of their party in their respective states.
Those who had visited are said to cut across the geopolitical zones in the country, especially from South-South, South-West as well as North-Central.
A highly impeccable source close to the minister told Impact Nigeria News Online on Tuesday morning that more governorship aspirants are expected to visit the minister between this week and the next in order to receive their own blessing.
The source disclosed that though the minister welcomed them with open arms, he told them point blank that they should all take part in primaries and whoever emerged as candidates in the states would have his full support.
He was also said to have told those who visited that in case there are grievances during the primaries, they should inform him in order for him to resolve the grievances so as not to jeopardise the chances of the party in 2027.
One of the aspirants from a state in the South-West who came with some political gladiators from the state was said to have told the minister to prevail on another influential citizen of the state who was hell bent on rejecting his moves to be the party’s candidate.
The source, who is also from the state, said the minister promised him to talk to the influential citizen but also told him that there should be primary to pick a candidate and whoever wins will get his full support.
