Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), has reaffirmed his unwavering support for President Bola Tinubu.
Wike, who has been visiting several local government areas in Rivers State, said his next engagements include Akuku-Toru and Degema, noting that both areas stand firmly behind Tinubu.
“Yesterday, we were in Oyigbo and Ogu-Bolo LGAs. Today, we will be in Akuku-Toru and Degema LGAs,” Wike said in a post on X.
He added, “Here, it is local politics, and our support for Mr President is total.”
The remarks come amid an escalating confrontation between Wike and Ajibola Basiru, national secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Basiru had on Monday urged Wike to resign from office, accusing him of being consumed by what he described as an “obsession” with Rivers state politics.
The APC national secretary’s outburst followed Wike’s warning that he should desist from meddling in political affairs of Rivers, saying Basiru’s “hands will burn” if he continued.
The political tension intensified after Victor Giadom, APC south-south national vice-chairman, openly backed Wike in his feud with Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers State, insisting that Wike remains crucial to electoral success in the state.
“To the so-called governor of Rivers state, to win anything in this state, you must go through Wike,” Giadom declared.
Basiru rejected the statement and criticised Giadom for “insulting” a sitting governor.
“I find it unfortunate that a member of the NWC, who is the vice-chairman of the south-south zone of the APC, was referring to a governor in our party as a ‘so-called governor of Rivers state’,” Basiru said.
He added, “No matter what his allegiances are to anybody, it is unbecoming of somebody holding such a sensitive position, and it should not be encouraged by anybody.”
Wike, viewing Basiru’s reaction as interference, warned him against taking sides in Rivers politics.
“Carrying your hands to Rivers state, if they burn, don’t say I burnt it,” Wike said.
He continued, “I can challenge anybody; this state is a no-go area, whether you like it or not. Don’t dare. So, stop making unnecessary comments.”
The FCT minister’s disagreement with Fubara has pitched him against some APC leaders.
Wike had previously dismissed comments by Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser, who said Tinubu was satisfied with Fubara’s performance.
The dispute deepened after Fubara defected from the PDP to the APC in December.
Wike has accused the governor of Rivers State of breaching an agreement allegedly reached before Tinubu intervened in the state’s political crisis.