The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ajibola Basiru, has warned the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to desist from what he described as attempts to destabilise the ruling party.
He insisted that the minister should resign from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s cabinet if he cannot stop interfering in the party’s internal affairs.
In a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, Basiru said his attention had been drawn to what he called “the tirade” of the FCT minister against his person and office, following his remarks that all members of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) must accord sitting governors due respect, as governors remain leaders of the party in their respective states.
Basiru expressed surprise that what he described as an “innocuous statement” could provoke what he termed “uncouth responses” from a member of the Federal Executive Council.
He argued that it was incompatible for Wike to remain a minister in an APC-led government while allegedly causing confusion within the party.
“He cannot be in the Federal Executive Council of an APC government and be causing confusion within any organ or structure of the party at any level, using the leverage of that same office,” Basiru said, adding that “the honourable thing to do is to resign his appointment as minister.”
The APC scribe further insisted that Wike lacked the standing to interfere in the party’s internal affairs, stressing that the former Rivers governor was not a member of the APC.
“Our records indicate that Minister Nyesom Wike is not a member of our party, the APC, so he lacks the locus to dabble into the affairs of our party,” Basiru said.
Naijaonpoint reports that Wike had earlier warned Basiru to steer clear of Rivers State politics, declaring the state a “no-go area” for political interference. He issued the warning during a thank-you visit to Oyigbo Local Government Area, alleging that some political actors were exploiting what he claimed was N600bn in the state’s coffers to make reckless statements about Rivers politics.
The minister’s comments followed remarks attributed to the APC Vice Chairman (South-South), Victor Giadom, who reportedly referred to Governor Siminalayi Fubara as “the so-called governor” and claimed that Fubara could not secure a second term without Wike’s backing.
Reacting earlier, Basiru had described Giadom’s remarks as unfortunate, insisting that the office of governor must be respected regardless of political differences.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Basiru wrote, “I find it unfortunate that a member of the NWC was referring to a governor in our party as a ‘so-called governor of Rivers State’. The office of the governor is an exalted position and must be respected.”
Responding to Wike’s allegation that APC leaders were scrambling for a purported N600bn in Rivers State, Basiru dismissed the claim as baseless, describing it as “cheap blackmail.”
He said his personal and public records were of “unquestionable integrity” and challenged the minister to substantiate the allegation or face legal action.
Basiru also reacted to what he described as veiled threats from Wike, warning that the minister was “not God” and might be overplaying his political influence.
“My faith is in God, and I will not succumb to cheap threats,” he said, adding that he was among Nigerians who fought against military rule and for democracy when “the likes of Wike were nowhere in sight.”
While acknowledging Wike’s public support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Basiru stressed that such support did not translate into APC membership.
“Millions of non-APC Nigerians also support Mr President, and his own is no different,” he said, warning that Wike’s alleged attempts to destabilise the party in Rivers State would not be tolerated.
“He cannot bring the spirit of the PDP into the APC,” Basiru added.