The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, says he is still a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Wike gave the clarification in Abuja on Friday, while reacting to the defection of 16 lawmakers of the Rivers Assembly from the PDP to the ruling All Progressives’ Congress (APC).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 16 lawmakers, including the Speaker, Martins Amaewhule, who are loyalists of the minister announced their defection from the PDP to the APC, at the assembly plenary on Friday.

Citing divisions in the PDP as the reason for the defection, Amaewhule said he was now a member of the APC and would join hands with President Bola Tinubu who means well for the country.

Reacting, Wike told journalists, shortly after he inspected some ongoing road projects in Abuja, that although the lawmakers did not consult him, they acted within their rights.

He, however, said that not all the lawmakers defected to the APC.

“I am still in the PDP and it is not everybody that has left.

“I believe 16 or 17 of them have left out of 27. We still have quite a good number; about 10, and we will continue to work together.

“They never told me, but they have a right to do so. For me, those who left were free to do so, and for those who remained in the party, we will continue to work together,” he said.

Describing the development as “very unfortunate”, the minister noted that everybody has the right to make a choice.

He blamed the development on the current factionalised state of the party, adding that the party’s Constitution allows members to leave if the party becomes factionalised.

He recalled advising the PDP leadership to put the party together, stressing that “at the end of the day, if nothing is done, it’s the party that is losing”.

The minister said that efforts were ongoing to see how the remaining members of the party would work together and be a relevant opposition.