Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State on Saturday welcomed hundreds of defectors from the All Progressives Congress to the Peoples Democratic Party.

Those at the event in Port Harcourt, the state capital, include PDP Chairman in Rivers, Desmond Akawor; former Board of Trustees’ member of the APC, Sam-Sam Jaja; ex-Commissioner for Sports, Fred Igwe; and hundreds of their supporters.

Other former APC members who defected are Sylver Opusunju, Tele Bethram Ikuru, Princewill Dike, Reginald Onwuka, Bestman Amadi, Amadi Nnokam, Muma Gift, Kennedy Ebeku.

According to the governor, his primary responsibility is to ensure that all candidates in Rivers are elected next year.

“Rivers State is paramount to me first before any other person or any other group,” Wike said.

“All of you who have come back to the family, you have one role or the other to play for the emergence of our governorship candidate,” he added.

The governor said the defectors came at the right time, noting that the 2023 elections “is not for big men, it is not for those who won’t come back home to mobilise their people; they are only interested in being politicians away”.

He stated, “Politicians are (made) at home. I have changed the strategy of this election – no more big men. I am going for those who matter in their various units.

“All those who are decamping are those who you will not be hearing their names but they are the people who do the work. So, we have been plucking them back and all those so-called big men are threatened.” (Channels TV, excluding headline)