The new caretaker committee of the Rivers State chapter of the All-Progressives Congress (APC) has debunked reports linking the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to the defection of 27 members of the House of Assembly.

27 of the 32 Rivers State lawmakers had defected from the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) to the opposition APC yesterday.

Hours after the Tony Okocha-led committee welcomed the 27 new converts at its party secretariat in Port Harcourt, top party members have refuted the reports making the round that Wike must have initiated the move to unseat the current state governor, Sim Fubara.

Reacting in a phone interview, the secretary of the APC caretaker committee, Eric Nwibani, disclosed that there was no iota of truth in the viral report.

Nwibani further stated that, as much as they see the defection as a welcome development, linking the former Rivers State Governor to the move was a figment of the imagination of those peddling the speculation.

The acting spokesperson for the Rivers APC committee, Chibuike Ikenga, also shared the sentiment of the secretary, saying the recent development reflected their efforts to rebuild the party after the dissolution of the former excos.