Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Chief Tony Okocha, has said the time is ripe for the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barr Nyesom Wike, to join the national ruling party.

Okocha, who disclosed this while addressing journalists in Port Harcourt yesterday, said apart from Wike, the APC is wooing other prominent politicians in the state, including members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, to join its fold.

He stated that the APC, which won 20 out of the 23 local government areas in the just-concluded council election, did not field chairmanship candidates in three LGAs, Obio/Akpor, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, and Port Harcourt City, because the party is not popular in those areas.

The APC chairman said: “We didn’t field candidates for Port Harcourt  City, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni and Obio/ Akpor LGAa because we know we won’t win in those areas.”

Okocha insisted that former members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who contested the LGA election on the APC platform formally defected from their former party.

He said, “Those former PDP members who contested as candidates of the APC actually defected to the APC. We decided not to make it public.”

The APC chairman, who expressed gratitude to the critical stakeholders of the party for their efforts in ensuring that the party emerged victorious in the just concluded local government election, thanked people of the state for turning out in their numbers to vote massively for candidates of the party.

Okocha also commended the leader of the party, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, alongside the national working committee of the APC, for repositioning and reviving the Rivers State APC, a development that culminated in the historic, jinx-breaking victory recorded last Saturday.

He expressed optimism that Rivers APC would triple its support base by 2027 to deliver a resounding victory for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.