The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ajibola Basiru, has called on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to resign immediately and stop meddling in Rivers State politics.
Basiru made the demand in a statement on Monday, following what he described as a tirade by Wike against him and his office. The APC official argued that Wike, not being a member of the party, has no right to interfere in its internal affairs.
“My attention has been drawn to the tirade of the Minister of the FCT against my person and my office as the National Secretary of the APC,” Basiru said. “This concerns my position that all members of the NWC must accord sitting Governors their due respect, as Governors remain the leaders of the Party in their States.”
He dismissed Wike’s claim that APC leaders were scrambling for an alleged N600 billion in Rivers State as “cheap blackmail” and challenged him to substantiate the allegation, warning that failure to do so could lead to legal action.
Basiru also accused Wike of importing “the spirit of the PDP” into the APC to destabilise the party in Rivers State. He stressed that Wike’s support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu does not automatically make him an APC member, adding that millions of non-APC Nigerians also support the president.
“My advice to Nyesom Wike is that he cannot be in the Federal Executive Council of an APC government and be causing confusion within the party,” Basiru said. “The honourable thing to do is to resign his appointment as Minister.”
The APC scribe further emphasised that his responsibilities are national in scope and that his statements regarding Rivers State are part of his duty to protect the party and its members. He warned Wike against overplaying his political influence and reiterated his commitment to defending the party against destabilising actions.
